North Bend made its first appearance before the Public Utilities Commission on Tuesday where there were no questions or comments from the commission members, company, or public.
The three-member PUC unanimously voted to allow Engie to begin its permitting process after a recommendation from PUC staff.
“Staff just requests the commission impose the statutory filing fee and also to grant authority to enter consulting contracts if necessary,” a staffer said.
Engie must pay an initial $8,000 deposit for its filing fee, which can’t exceed $342,500.
The company has been studying the area since 2016 and hopes to begin operations by late 2022.
The wind farm would have underground cables, a switching station, an aircraft detection system, and other infrastructure. It would connect to a Western Area Power Administration line that crosses the southern part of the project.
The North Bend Wind Project would be west of Engie’s existing Triple H wind farm in Hyde County. The company pulled the plug on another proposed wind farm in January.
A public meeting will take place at 6:30 p.m. on August 11 at the Capitol Lakes Visitors Center in Pierre. Relevant documents are available on the PUC website.