Please give to The Capital Times Kids Fund.

Alliant moving forward with Minnesota wind farm

Jeff Richgels  —  6/30/2008 10:10 am

Alliant Energy unit Wisconsin Power and Light Co. announced Monday that it has filed both a Site Permit application and Certificate of Need application with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission for the proposed Bent Tree Wind Farm in Freeborn County, Minn.

In April, WPL executed a letter of intent to purchase the Bent Tree site from Wind Capital Group LLC. WPL said it expects the deal to be completed by the end of the year.

Bent Tree, which is near Albert Lea just north of the Iowa border, has the potential to produce up to 400 megawatts of energy, enough to power about 100,000 homes. The company said the site features "the strong and persistent prairie winds of southern Minnesota."

WPL's Site Permit application seeks approval for a 400-megawatt facility but the company said the project is expected to come online in phases, with the first phase consisting of 200 megawatts. That initial phase will cost about $450 to $475 million, excluding allowance for funds used during construction.

Assuming it gets the necessary regulatory approvals, and connects to the transmission grid, WPL said it anticipates that 200 megawatts to be commercially operable by the end of 2010.

WPL filed a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity application with the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin earlier this month and expects the PSC to issue a ruling on that application by the end of this year.

WPL expects the MPUC to issue rulings on its Site Permit and CON applications late this year or in early 2009.

A decision regarding the development of the wind farm's additional 200 megawatts has not yet been made.

Bent Tree would be WPL's second fully owned and operated wind farm. The company's first such project, the Cedar Ridge Wind Farm, a 68-megawatt project in Fond du Lac County, is expected to begin commercial operation later this year.

Jeff Richgels  —  6/30/2008 10:10 am