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.
