North Dakota regulators approve 200 MW Northern Divide Wind Project in Burke County

The North Dakota Public Service Commission has approved a siting permit for NextEra Energy Resources' Northern Divide Wind Project and associated transmission line in Burke County.

The wind farm will have a capacity of approximately 200 megawatts and will consist of up to 74 wind turbine generators and associated facilities. The project will also include a 41-mile long transmission line that starts at the wind farm in Burke County and extends to Basin Electric’s Tande Substation in Mountrail County.

The project will cost US$300 million to build. The 345 kilovolt power line will be built at a US$30 million cost. Basin Electric Power Cooperative will buy the electricity. Next Era is planning to have the wind farm in service by the end of the year.

Commissioner Julie Fedorchak, said: “NextEra worked closely with the North Dakota Game and Fish and U.S. Fish and Wildlife to address the concerns identified by these expert agencies in the first permitting process. As a result, Northern Divide Wind is significantly different in its impacts to wetlands and wildlife than the Burke Wind project was. The project is significantly smaller, has far less impact to native prairie, and far fewer impacts to wetlands. In my assessment, with these significant changes and the lack of objection from these wildlife agencies, the project now meets the legal standard of minimal impact that’s necessary for a permit.”

Northern Divide has relocated 44 of the original 78 turbines to areas with less impact to wetlands and wildlife using recommendations from the wildlife agencies. The turbines were moved away from upland birds breeding habitat.