Most of North Dakota’s wind turbines have barely begun operating, but state regulators have started drafting rules that would apply if the massive towers quit producing electricity. ...North Dakota’s proposed rules say the property that hosted a wind turbine site would have to be restored to ‘‘substantially the same physical condition’’ as existed when the site was built. ‘‘To the extent possible, the site must be restored and reclaimed to the topography and topsoil quality that existed just prior to the beginning ... of construction,’’ they say. A wind turbine would be targeted for decommissioning if it had not produced electricity for at least one year, the proposed rules say. Removing a wind tower and its associated equipment would have to be done within 18 months after it reached the end of its use.

North Dakota's wind-power industry has grown dramatically in recent years and shows signs of continuing the upward trend. However, the industry also faces increasing obstacles in exporting electricity because of transmission bottlenecks. That was a message industry figures made in presentations Wednesday to the Empower North Dakota Commission, a new board that will help steer state energy-development policy, at North Dakota State University.

Renewable energy sources will continue to grow and are an important part of the country's energy future, but are only part of the equation because the nation is far from reducing its dependence on fossil fuels. ...Despite forecasted growth in renewable energy forms like ethanol, wind power, biomass and nonpetroleum-based fuels, the nation will continue to depend largely on fossil fuels and electricity generated by coal power plants, the committee was told. One reason is the country's forecasted increased consumption of fuel and electricity. “The key to our country's energy future is a mix,” said Gerald Groenewold, the director of the EERC. “Fossil fuels are a part of that.” ...Another wind challenge is the need for future transmission line capacity, said Chris Zygarlicke, the EERC's deputy associate director of research.

North Dakota's largest wind farm already has growth plans, state regulators said as they approved a shortened application period for siting 27 new wind turbines near Langdon. ...The commission approved the present wind farm's site plan, and its president, Susan Wefald, said regulators' familiarity with the area may help siting work for the expansion. "There is not a lot of new land that's going to be added," Wefald said. "A number of the turbines are going to be placed on land that has been sited already."

North Dakota ...has abundant resources in coal and wind, making it a logical place to produce energy for its less resource rich neighbors. ...Because the state is far away from the metropolitan areas that demand a lot of electricity, any extra power produced here will require a lot of transmission capacity to get it to its potential buyers. ... the main challenge is that many different interests have to come together and agree on terms before new power lines can be built. For even the most basic transmission construction projects, the different power companies that will utilize the lines have to agree how to split the costs of paying for the project. Also, some of the landowners along a route may object to the lines crossing through their property.

The location of nine turbines in the Oliver Wind II project will be altered from the original plan, requiring a return of the project to the Oliver County Planning and Zoning Commission next week. Oliver Wind II will go into full-blown construction soon, but changes with landowners and design mean that some of the wind turbines will be moved outside of the previously approved project area. County land use administrator John Wicklund said the change is a relatively small tweaking of the project and that the new locations will be adjacent to the land that was originally zoned for the project.

The grass around Minot may not be the only thing that's green in a few years, as Basin Electric Power Cooperative is looking at two potential sites near town on which to build a wind farm.

Montana Dakota Utilities Co., says it plans a 20-megawatt wind farm near Baker, Mont., just over the North Dakota border.

Wisconsin Public Service Corporation, a subsidiary of Integrys Energy Group (NYSE: TEG), is looking to build or buy a wind generation facility of approximately 100 megawatts of nameplate capacity somewhere in the Midwest. "To help meet our renewable energy requirements, we are exploring wind options throughout the footprint of the Midwest Independent System Operator (MISO), our regional electric transmission authority," said Public Service Director - Renewable and Special Projects Rob Benninghoff. "That includes the area roughly from the Dakotas to Illinois."

Another wind farm is in the works in North Dakota. B-P Alternative Energy has finalized an agreement with the McIntosh County Commission, to develop a wind farm. The first phase of the project is set for land southwest of Wishek.

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.