Two wind farm projects approved in North Dakota

Birds that are at risk of finding out why turbines are called slice-and-dicers. Pictures courtesy of DollarPhotoClub.com.
Birds that are at risk of finding out why wind turbines should be called slice-and-dicers. Pictures courtesy of DollarPhotoClub.com.

Two slice-and-dice operations have received permission to move forward.

12/2 – Bismarck Tribune – Williams County wind farm project approved – The Lindahl Wind Project has been approved by the North Dakota Public Service Commission. Project is rated at 150MW with up to 75 turbines with each of them in the 2MW to 3.3MW range. Cost is estimated at $248.5M. Project has been moved from 2 miles north of Tioga to 4 miles north.

Project has an agreement in place to sell whatever electricity is generated. Company is not aware of any eagle nests within 20 miles.

Update: Cost =  $246.5M / 150mW = $1.64M/mW.

Construction expected to start in early 2016 and be done by end of 2016.

12/22 – Dickinson Press – Wind farm approved: Stark County approves 87-turbine wind farm despite division among officials, residents – The Brady Wind Energy Center planned by NextEra Energy resources in Stark County created severe division in the community with the planning board approving it 5-3 and the County Commission barely approving it at 3-2. The project now has a conditional use permit for 87 turbines with estimated cost of $250M. That is estimated $2.87M per slice-and-dicer tower.

County previously turned down in May another bird-chopping facility that was proposed in March.

Stark County will now take a break from any new turbine projects…

12/29 – Dickinson Press – Stark Co. places moratorium on wind farm application: Permits will not be considered until 2018 – After the Stark County Commission approved an 87 tower slice-and-dice project, they approved a two-year moratorium on accepting additional permits. The now-approved project is expected to go into operation in December 2016.

This two-year delay until the first of 2018 allows everyone to monitor how the developer works with landowners and what the impact is of construction and the first year of operation. At the end of two years the county commission will assess how this project developed and then decide whether to allow any more projects.

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