Public Utilities Commission Approves Filing Fees For Wind Power Project In Hughes And Hyde Counties

Public Utilities Commission Approves Filing Fees For Wind Power Project In Hughes And Hyde Counties

PIERRE — The South Dakota Public Utilities Commission has agreed to impose the statutory filing fees for the construction and operation of a proposed wind power project in Hughes and Hyde County. The action taken by the P-U-C Tuesday also grants authority for the Commission’s executive director Patricia Van Gerpen to enter into consulting contracts if necessary for the project. The filing fees are not to exceed 342-thousand, 500- dollars and includes an eight-thousand dollar deposit. Lawyers representing North Bend had no objections to the request. According to documents filed in North Bend’s docket with the P-U-C, the project will carry 71 turbines with a nameplate capacity up to 200 megawatts. The size of the wind farm is approximately 46-thousand, 931 acres in seven townships along the Hughes/Hyde County line. The cost of the project is estimated to be between 265 and 285-million dollars. Officials hope to break ground on North Bend in the spring of 2022 with completion late next year.