April 21, 2017
North Dakota

Wind turbine lighting system bill clears Legislature

Nick Smith | Bismarck Tribune | April 20, 2017 | bismarcktribune.com

Over the next few years, nighttime views in North Dakota will see improvement as the frequency of blinking red lights atop wind turbines will be reduced.

House Bill 1378 passed the North Dakota Senate by a 45-1 vote Thursday morning with no debate. It now heads to the governor’s desk for his signature.

HB1378 requires aircraft detection lighting systems must be installed on all wind turbines. All wind energy projects approved after June 5, 2016, must have systems in place by Dec. 31, 2019. Projects approved prior to that must have lighting systems in place by Dec. 31, 2021.

Extensions could be granted on a case-by-case basis by the PSC depending on technical concerns or economic feasibility.

Costs for installation and maintenance of systems will be placed solely on companies that own the individual wind energy projects.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2017/04/21/wind-turbine-lighting-system-bill-clears-legislature/