MAKING WIND IN SO DAKOTA

Construction Begins On South Dakota Wind Project; The Crow Lake Wind Project will consist of 108 turbines located throughout Aurora, Brule and Jerauld Counties just east of Chamberlain in the south-central part of the state.
October 21, 2010 (Basin Electric Power Cooperative)

"On Oct. 5, 2010…construction began on the $363-million Crow Lake Wind Project in south-central South Dakota…[and] U.S. Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin…reported that a $1.167 million grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration had been approved for the Mitchell Technical Institute (MTI), Mitchell, S.D., to purchase one of the wind towers for use in its wind technician degree program…

"The Crow Lake Wind Project will consist of 108 turbines located throughout Aurora, Brule and Jerauld Counties just east of Chamberlain in the south-central part of the state. A subsidiary of Basin Electric Power Cooperative, PrairieWinds SD 1 Inc., will own and operate 101 turbines; however, turbine “101” will be used by MTI…"

South Dakota's wind could provide...(click to enlarge)

"Another seven turbines will be owned by South Dakota Wind Partners. PrairieWinds will construct the seven turbines for the Wind Partners and operate them. Through PrairieWinds, Basin Electric will purchase the electricity that’s produced from those turbines. The Wind Partners announced in late September they had raised the $16.8 million required from South Dakota investors for their part of the project…"

...ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-FIVE TIMES as much power as the state needs! (click to enlarge)

"When completed in early 2011, the Crow Lake Wind Project will have a generating capacity of 151.5 megawatts, the Wind Partners project will have a capacity of 10.5 megawatts. The Crow Lake Wind Project will be the largest wind project in the United States owned solely by a cooperative…[T]he project represents two community ownership models, through its cooperative owners and through the Wind Partners…

"In 2001, Basin Electric developed its first wind project – two turbines just north of Chamberlain, followed by another two turbines south of Minot, N.D…[It] has developed more than 450 megawatts of wind power in the Dakotas, including several projects with NextEra Energy Resources. In 2009, Basin Electric subsidiary PrairieWinds ND 1, Inc. completed the largest wind project in North Dakota. That project has a capacity of 120 megawatts. When the South Dakota project is completed, Basin Electric will have more than 700 megawatts of wind generation…"