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In 2008 the Basin Electric board of directors established two for-profit subsidiaries, PrairieWinds ND 1 Inc. and PrairieWinds SD 1 Inc. to develop wind projects in North Dakota and South Dakota.

South Dakota

PrairieWinds SD 1 Inc., was formed to develop wind projects in South Dakota. PrairieWinds SD 1 wind project is currently in the engineering and permitting stages. Basin Electric is in the process of developing a 151.5-megawatt wind project in central South Dakota.

One step closer: The Environmental Protection Agency on July 30 published the Notice of Availability for the final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in the Federal Register for the project to be located near Crow Lake, SD.

Under the National Environmental Policy Act, an EIS is required to determine impacts on the surrounding environment. Following the publication of the final EIS, there will now be a 30-day wait period, which will end August 30, 2010. The Western Area Power Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service are expected to issue separate Records of Decision after the wait period.

“We are pleased that we are now to the point that the final EIS has been published,” says Kevin Solie, senior environmental analyst at Basin Electric. “We now hoping for a quick Record of Decision.” Construction can begin on the project once the Records of Decision are issued.

The project is scheduled to be operational in early 2011. The project will be owned and operated by Basin Electric subsidiary, PrairieWinds SD 1.

Purchased power wind generation

Baldwin wind project

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April 23, 2010: Basin Electric and NextEra Energy Resources signed a 30-year contract whereby Basin Electric will purchase 100 megawatts of electricity from a proposed new wind project near Baldwin, ND. NextEra will construct, own and operate the wind project, scheduled to be operational at year-end.. The project will have up to 68 turbines, each with a generating capacity of up to 1.6 megawatts. This will be the sixth wind project partnership between the two organizations. The other five wind projects are located near Wilton (two phases) and Edgeley, N.D., and Highmore and in Day County, S.D.

Ron Harper, Basin Electric’s general manager and CEO, said this project provides some long-term assurance for the future. “When this project is finished, Basin Electric’s generation portfolio will include wind and other green resources with a nameplate capacity of more than 20 percent of our member’s peak demand,” he said. “In the event renewable portfolio standards become a reality, either on a state-by-state basis or a national basis, this project provides Basin Electric with enough renewable generation to meet anticipated standards for years to come.” The renewable energy attributes or credits from those resources are used to meet member needs, state requirements or sold to third parties to help support the economics of these resources.

Status: June 2010

Project	PrairieWinds SD 1
Capacity	151.5 megawatts
Location	Central SD
Project manager	Ron Rebenitsch
Project engineer	Amanda Wangler
Turbines	101 turbines; GE 1.5sle
Project status	Engineering and permitting
Estimated cost	$350 million
Construction start	2010
Project completion	Late 2010 or early 2011
Tower height	262 ft
Length of blade	121 ft

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