The South Dakota Public Utilities Commissioners (PUC) approved a permit May 14 for the construction of the Deuel Harvest North Wind Farm, a wind energy facility in Deuel County, S.D., capable of producing up to 310.1 megawatts of energy.
The proposed project is expected to include up to 112 wind turbines and associated facilities, including a 345-kilovolt transmission line with an associated 345-kilovolt interconnection substation located in Glenwood Township.
Deuel Harvest expects to complete the $400 million project, spanning approximately 48,730 acres, in 2020. A buyer for the power produced by the project has not been announced.
PUC staff and Deuel Harvest proposed more than 40 permit conditions, including road conditions during construction, habitats of threatened or endangered species, assignment of a public liaison officer, land restoration, shadow flicker, detecting and reacting to ice conditions on turbine blades, and avian and bat mortality.