The $200m wind farm would be located near Glen Ullin, about 88km west of the state capital Bismarck.
Jerry Lein says the PSC commissioners approved a “site certificate” for the project even though Allete does not have a power purchase agreement (PPA) in place. “They are looking for a buyer,” he says, a prerequisite to arranging project financing.
Several other wind developers including enXco, New Frontier, NextEra and Sequoia are in the same situation with projects in the state, he says.