Planning commission supports turbine repowering

Basin Electric Power Cooperative gained the support of the Ward County Planning Commission Thursday, June 18, for a wind farm repowering project, south of Minot.

The commission voted 6-2 with one abstention to recommend the county commission approve a conditional use permit.

The permit request, on second reading, drew minimal opposition, unlike the first reading. In the interim, Basin Electric and the county entered into an agreement on road maintenance aimed at addressing many of the concerns about damage and dust related to preliminary work that had already started.

Basin Electric will have a temporary storage site for equipment and supplies and would be required to restore the site to farmland after completion.

Work will be delayed, though, as Basin Electric still is seeking final permissions from the county commission, North Dakota Public Service Commission, Federal Aviation Administration and U.S. Air Force.

Doug Bradford, project manager with Basin Electric, said the cooperative is now looking at fall construction through November, with finalization in the spring of 2027.

Basin Electric plans to repower the Prairie Winds 1 and Minot Wind projects, which involves installing larger blades, a new hub gearbox, main shaft, generator refurbishment and some upgrades to electrical controls, according to Basin Electric information. The foundations and towers will remain in place.

The repowering will extend the life of the turbines, originally installed in 2009, Bradford told the planning commission. It also will slightly increase megawatt output per turbine from 1.5 MW to 1.6 MW. The new blades are being manufactured in Grand Forks, and the repowering project will support local jobs, he said. Additionally, it will ensure the continuation of electrical generation taxes going to South Prairie School District, the county, rural fire departments, ambulance services and Rushville, Newman, Gasman, Iota Flat and Willis townships, he said.

There are 80 turbines in the wind farm, but Bradford said only those turbines for which Basin Electric has received signed permissions from property owners will be upgraded. To date, all but one landowner has given approval, although one landowner remains to be contacted, he said. Any turbine not repowered would continue to operate as is until no longer able to function, at which time it would be decommissioned, he said.