South Dakota is seen as a potential cradle for a wind power stronghold for the nation, and companies have taken notice.
Philip Wind Partners LLC, a subsidiary of Invenergy, plans to install as many as 87 wind turbines in Haakon County north of Philip. The group filed its official application to the state Public Utilities Commission this month.
The bulk of the proposed project area is found near Buzzard Creek, West Plum Creek, and extends west past Ferguson Dam.
The proposal also claims to provide more than $85 million to landowners and agricultural producers with impacted land, more than $50 million in new property tax revenue, and about $10 million in sales taxes for the state and county. That’s over a 30-year timeframe
In addition, the rural and vast area of Haakon County is unzoned according to the application, meaning there are minimal ordinances in place to complicate the proposal locally. For context, Haakon County is over half the size of the state of Delaware with a population of less than 2,000.
The proposal indicates roughly 200 new jobs during construction and 12 permanent positions will come to Haakon County because of the project.
Recent reporting from South Dakota Searchlight found that wind power has surpassed hydroelectric power as the largest single generator of electricity within the state. In total, 52% of the state’s internally generated power came from wind turbines.
Most of those major plants are located East River, and fluctuations in wind mean that the state is not always generating at maximum capacity. However, as the state generates more power than its population consumes, exporting that electricity could soon become a boon for the economy.
Wind energy is not without its critics. Many wind power operations face brutal public comment periods from residents opposed to these projects, particularly in the more densely populated east-river.