United Wind and Power Corp., a subsidiary of SkyPower Corp., has entered into an agreement with Three Affiliated Tribes (TAT) - Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara - to form a joint venture that will develop wind energy projects on the TAT Tribal land in North Dakota. The first proposed project is located south of Parshall, N.D., the companies say. The development for this site began in the spring of 2003. "This is a very significant project for the Three Affiliated Tribes in developing renewable energy resources for the Fort Berthold Reservation," says Fred Fox, TAT's natural resources administrator.

North Dakota's Public Service Commission rejected Xcel Energy's request to charge a special rate for wind power, saying it was too expensive and could mislead customers about the cost of wind-generated electricity. "Why should people who really support wind have to pay significantly more for that resource than others?" asked Susan Wefald, the PSC's president. Xcel Energy's Windsource program, which it already offers in Minnesota, Colorado and New Mexico, sells wind energy by 100 kilowatt-hour "blocks" to customers who want assurances they are using environmentally friendly power. The Minneapolis utility asked the PSC for permission to charge North Dakota customers a premium of $2.50 per 100 kilowatt-hours for a supply of wind energy. A typical residential customer uses about 750 kwh each month.

North Dakota's Public Service Commission is holding a hearing next month on the location of a proposed wind farm. It's south of Langdon in northeastern North Dakota. Public Service Commission President Susan Wefald says the hearing will be held at 10 a-m on May 8th. The site will be determined later. The proposed wind farm will include 106 wind turbines. It will be capable of generating up to 159 megawatts of power. It represents an investment of more than 225 (M) million dollars. Wefald says the hearing will allow people who are affected by the project to voice any concerns they may have about it. The commission has jurisdiction over the siting of the wind farm including where individual wind towers will be placed. The farm is being developed by F-P-L Energy L-L-C of Florida, Minnkota Power Cooperative of Grand Forks and Otter Tail Power Company of Fergus Falls, Minnesota. Minnkota and Otter Tail Power will be buying the wind farm's electric output.

(AP) Bismarck, N.D. A proposed new wind farm near Langdon, North Dakota, will be supplying power for Minnkota Power Cooperative and Otter Tail Power Company. When it's finished, the Langdon project will be North Dakota's largest wind farm. It's planned to have 106 wind turbines -- generating 159 megawatts of power. Fergus Falls, Minnesota-based Otter Tail Power will own 27 of the turbines and get 40 megawatts of electricity from the project. The rest of the wind farm's output is being sold to Minnkota Power Cooperative of Grand Forks, North Dakota, Minnkota supplies wholesale power to eleven electric cooperatives in eastern North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - A group of utilities in Iowa, Minnesota and the Dakotas plan to spend $200 million on a project in Iowa that would store energy generated by wind turbines. The Iowa Stored Energy Park would essentially act as a "battery" for wind energy, said Bob Haub, executive director of the Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities. Wind farms in Iowa, Minnesota and the Dakotas would ship energy over the power grid to the storage park near Des Moines. Xcel Energy and the federal government are experimenting with ways to "store" wind power in the form of hydrogen, but the Iowa project would employ a far simpler strategy that would include the following steps:

The N.D. Public Service Commission has approved a transmission line for a new wind farm in North Dakota and South Dakota. Tatanka Wind Power LLC is planning to build about 120 wind turbines, capable of generating about 180 megawatts of power. They will be in North Dakota's Dickey County and South Dakota's McPherson County. State regulators say the company wants to build the $7 million, 10-mile power line to connect the wind turbines to North Dakota's electrical grid. The PSC said in its ruling that there are no permanently occupied houses in the vicinity of the proposed transmission line.

Minnesota’s new mandate requiring 25 percent of the state’s electricity to be derived from renewable energy sources by 2025 likely will boost wind-power development in North Dakota. The so-called “25 by ’25” initiative sends a signal to regional power providers that demand for wind energy will grow significantly, said Brad Crabtree, of Kulm, N.D., director of an initiative by the Great Plains Institute to reach consensus about how to reduce greenhouse gases. “I think the implications are large for North Dakota,” he said. Minnesota, especially the growing Twin Cities metro area, is a big export market for electricity generated in North Dakota, he said. “The political sentiments are pretty obvious in Minnesota, and we need to provide a power mix that is customer-oriented,” Crabtree said.

Rep. Jon Nelson believes a plan for the dismantling of inactive North Dakota wind farms is comparable to coal mine land reclamation, but the Wolford Republican couldn’t muster enough lawmakers who agreed. The North Dakota House on Friday defeated, 57-34, a bill to give the state Public Service Commission broad power to write rules for the decommissioning of wind farms, including authority to require companies to post a bond to cover the expense. Rep. Mike Brandenburg, R-Edgeley, argued the bill was unnecessary and would add extra cost for an industry that is finding its legs in North Dakota. The American Wind Energy Association rates the state as No. 1 in wind-power generation potential. “At this point in the infancy of these wind generation (projects), this is not the time to put more … burdensome costs that would take us further out of the market,” Brandenburg said.

Xcel Energy, which is planning a wind power marketing initiative in North Dakota, wants to charge too much for the renewable electricity, wind energy development supporters say. State regulators are wondering whether any premium is justified. Xcel’s Windsource program would offer North Dakota customers 100 kilowatt-hour blocks of wind energy for about $3, if they agreed to buy the power for at least one year, utility filings say. North Dakota’s Public Service Commission, which is reviewing the program, held a hearing Wednesday to gather information about its pricing details. The commission regulates electric utilities, and it must approve the special wind energy rate before Xcel Energy can offer it to North Dakota customers.

Last month the Natural Areas Acquisition Advisory Committee advised the governor to deny the sale. Opponents have said that there is already enough land in Sheridan County set aside for wildlife and that the sale could hurt economic development by restricting the placement of wind turbines or pipelines.

The Public Service Commission is holding a hearing in Ashley this week on a proposed transmission line for a new wind farm in North Dakota. Tatanka Wind Power is planning a project across the North Dakota-South Dakota border. State regulators say the company wants to build a ten-mile power line to connect the turbines to North Dakota's electrical grid. Tatanka is planning to build about 120 wind turbines, capable of generating about 180 megawatts of power.

The Public Service Commission has scheduled a hearing here on a proposed transmission line for a new wind farm in North Dakota. Tatanka Wind Power LLC is planning a project across the North Dakota-South Dakota border. State regulators say the company wants to build a 10-mile power line to connect the turbines to North Dakota’s electrical grid.

BP Alternative Energy North America Inc. expects to begin construction on five U.S. wind power generation projects in 2007 across four states, including Texas. The projects — also located in California, Colorado and North Dakota — are expected to deliver a combined generation capacity of 550 megawatts.

North Dakotans can’t count on the wind blowing every day, but extending a federal tax credit for five years would put a steady breeze in the sails of the state’s booming wind industry, Rep. Earl Pomeroy said Monday. Pomeroy, D-N.D., visited the DMI Industries manufacturing plant in West Fargo to announce a bipartisan bill to extend the production tax credit for wind and other renewable energy projects until 2014. “This legislation … we think produces a very significant level of stability, providing the assurance that those contemplating moving in this area are going to be able to complete their projects and invest in future projects,” he said.

FPL Energy announced plans to submit a proposal for a large wind farm in Cavalier County, North Dakota. The proposal was mentioned in Gov. John Hoeven’s address to the state legislature Wednesday, the Grand Forks Herald reported. The application will be for a 160 megawatt wind farm, according to the North Dakota Public Service Commission.

Other renewable energy legislation is in the wind, now that North Dakota's wind energy development is firmly established with commercial wind farms in Burleigh and Oliver counties in this region and others elsewhere in the state. The North Dakota Renewable Energy Partnership has outlined a concept to restore wind farm siting authority to the Public Service Commission for wind projects of more than 20 megawatts. The oversight would include the issues of landowner compensation and perimeter setbacks. The PCS's authority was stripped of anything under 100 megawatts in the last session.

A company that is planning a wind power project across the North Dakota-South Dakota border wants to construct a 10-mile power line to connect the turbines to North Dakota’s electrical grid, state regulators say. The Public Service Commission on Wednesday accepted Tatanka Wind Power LLC’s letter of intent to build the Dickey County power line, which the company hopes to begin constructing in March. Company filings estimate the project’s cost at $7.3 million.

Economic development officials in Grand Forks and Fargo agreed this week to oppose the City 20/20 renewable energy initiative, which has also come under fire from elected leaders. In a joint resolution, the Grand Forks Region and Greater Fargo Moorhead economic development corporations said they support the growth of the renewable energy industry but prefer that it come about by market forces or federal incentives. "The bottom line for us is we don't think it should be mandated locally," said Grand Forks EDC president Klaus Thiessen.

Tax incentives were put into place in 2005 to help bring in more renewable energy industries, but North Dakota’s tax commissioner says the state needs to do more. Cory Fong announced today that he will be working with the 2007 legislature to introduce a new tax credit. Fong is running for the tax commissioner seat to which he was appointed last year.

North Dakotans strongly favor higher electric bills and mandates for ethanol-blended fuel and biodiesel to support renewable energy, says a poll commissioned by the industry's backers.... The poll was conducted by the University of North Dakota's Bureau of Governmental Affairs, using telephone interviews with 600 North Dakota residents. They were conducted from June 13 to July 12. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points.