Montana-Dakota Utilities Co. to purchase Hettinger wind farm

BISMARCK, N.D. - Montana-Dakota Utilities Co. announced Monday that it has agreed to purchase a wind farm to be developed outside of Hettinger next year.
The $200 million project by Allete Clean Energy, a company of Duluth-based Allete, will be composed of 43 turbines that will produce 107.5 megawatts of electricity, according to a statement from MDU.
In October 2013, MDU signed a 25-year agreement with Thunder Spirit Wind LLC, a subsidiary of Wind Works Power Corp., to purchase the wind farm’s power output. However, according to the statement from MDU, the company said it determined owning and operating the wind farm to be its best long-term solution.
“Our electric demand continues to increase and this project is a great opportunity to increase our electric generation to meet that customer demand,” Frank Morehouse, MDU president and CEO, said in the statement. “Our customer energy requirements are expected to grow at 5 percent per year for the next five years.”
The Adams County Commission unanimously approved permits for the wind farm in July.
The wind farm’s previous price tag was stated at multiple public meetings to be about $350 million and previous reports had as many as 75 turbines being erected in Duck Creek and Holt townships.
MDU said it believes the wind farm’s location is beneficial for connecting the project to its transmission system in an area where the company already provides electric service. A statement by Allete called the Hettinger location a “premier wind location” on MDU’s transmission system.
The purchase is subject to regulatory approval.