Wind Projects In North Dakota -- A Random Update -- With Bragging Rights

For folks who like the prospect of seeing and hearing slicers and dicers for the rest of eternity on the Great Plains, this should be a welcome story and a welcome site (see photo at linked story). The Dickinson Press is reporting:

Anyone who’s spent a day in North Dakota knows it’s windy here, which is why energy companies are investing in wind farms throughout the state, including a new wind farm in southwest North Dakota near Hettinger.

“There’s about five projects in the state going on right now,” said Mike Fladeland, manager of energy business development for the North Dakota Department of Commerce in Bismarck.

“By the end of another year or two, we should have a little bit — we should have over two gigawatts of wind-generated power in the state.”

North Dakota has high wind energy potential — sixth in the nation — and ranks 11th for actual production.

Montana-Dakota Utilities is planning to purchase 105 megawatts of wind energy from the Thunder Spirit Wind project in Adams County, bringing their totals to 20 percent renewable, MDU spokesman Mark Hanson said.

“That contract will provide our customers with stable pricing over that 25-year contract that we signed,” Hanson said. The company owns windmills near Rhame and Baker, MT.