The $350m Courtenay will top out at 100 turbines, down from as many as 136, with the power to be purchased by a subsidiary of Xcel Energy.

On its own the project would lift North Dakota’s installed wind capacity by 10% to 1.9GW, in the US state which already boasts the third-highest penetration of wind energy.

Courtenay, under development since 2008 in the central county of Stutsman, was initially opposed by owners of a nearby private airstrip, who said several of the turbine locations would impact the safety of planes landing and taking off.

US