February 7, 2019
North Dakota

Public Service Commission approves Emmons-Logan wind farm

Amy Dalrymple | Bismarck Tribune | bismarcktribune.com

The North Dakota Public Service Commission issued a siting permit on Wednesday for the Emmons-Logan Wind Energy Center, granting approval for as many as 123 wind turbines northeast of Linton.

The project by NextEra Energy Resources will have a capacity of about 298 megawatts and will include a 6.85-mile transmission line in Emmons County.

Commissioner Julie Fedorchak said the project has strong support from community members and landowners in the area.

“Many locals attended the hearing and spoke in favor of this wind farm,” Fedorchak said in a statement.

Commission Chairman Brian Kroshus said the project meets the siting criteria, including local zoning approval, which he called a “key component.”

The project area encompasses about 28,097 acres about 5 miles northeast of Linton. The wind project and associated facilities are expected to cost about $415 million. The associated facilities include access roads, underground electrical collection systems, collection substations, operations and maintenance building and meteorological evaluation towers.

The 230-kilovolt transmission line, which will connect to the existing Heskett-Wishek transmission line, is estimated to cost $20 million.

NextEra has entered into a 25-year power purchase agreement with Great River Energy for the full output of energy produced by the project.

North Dakota has about 3,152 megawatts of wind capacity in service.

The Public Service Commission is reviewing several other proposed wind projects, including the Aurora Wind Project in Williams County, the Burke Wind Project in Burke County and the Ruso Wind Project in Ward and McLean counties.

Meanwhile, Pure New Energy USA has filed a court appeal after the Burleigh County Commission denied special use permits for the proposed Burleigh-Emmons Wind Farm. PNE proposed to construct a 250-megawatt project in southern Burleigh County and northern Emmons County.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2019/02/07/public-service-commission-approves-emmons-logan-wind-farm/