February 1, 2018
South Dakota

41-turbine wind farm planned in Day County

By Shannon Marvel | Aberdeen News | www.aberdeennews.com

NextEra Energy is developing plans for a 41-turbine wind farm project in eastern Day County.

The company has to clear any local and state permitting process before construction can begin, according to Tara Tyson, a spokeswoman for NextEra Energy.

Tyson said the 99-megawatt wind farm would include an underground power collection system, a new substation, a new overhead transmission line, access roads and a maintenance and an operation center. It will be owned and operated by a subsidiary of NextEra Energy.

“We’re still in the development stage, but we intend to complete the project by 2019, so then the project would be operational,” Tyson said.

The project would connect with the Western Area Power Administration’s Groton south substation and would be along private land between Bristol and Andover.

“The Day County II project has been in development for a while now. We continue to see good potential for wind development in South Dakota,” she added.

Day and Brown county commissioners have been notified of the project.

The project has nothing to do with an order that’s keeping Aberdeen’s Molded Fiber Glass manufacturing plant in operation through August, Tyson said.

MFG manufactures wind turbine blades. The company previously announced that it’s closing its Aberdeen facility in 2018, but has recently received an order that keeps it open most of the year.

A meeting about the Day County project will be 5 to 8 p.m. Feb. 8 at the Groton Community Center, 109 N. Third St.

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Speak up

• A meeting about the Day County project will be 5 to 8 p.m. Feb. 8 at the Groton Community Center, 109 N. Third St.

• Comments can be submitted by mail to the Western Area Power Administration; Attn: Ms. Christina Gomer; 2900 Fourth Ave. N.; Billings, MT 59101.

• Send comments by email to gomer@wapa.gov.

• To comment by phone, call 406-255-2811.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2018/02/01/41-turbine-wind-farm-planned-in-day-county/