Plans to put what would be North Dakota's largest standalone wind farm in the heart of coal country ran into a stumbling block when the McLean County Commission unanimously voted to deny a preliminary project area permit after an hourslong hearing.
The move has potential impacts to North Dakota's largest coal-fired power plant, which was saved from shutdown just a few years ago.
The County Courthouse's Commission Room overflowed April 9 for a meeting where residents brought a mix of views on the proposed Discovery Wind Farm, which would be built by Virginia-based Apex Clean Energy and have the potential to send 426 megawatts of electricity to the Twin Cities area in Minnesota.
Supporters -- many of whom signed easements to put turbines on their property -- highlighted the potential economic benefits the project would bring to the more than 100 landowners who signed contracts and to local businesses, as well as the tax dollars going to the county and schools -- around $735,000 a year for 30 years. Executives from the area's prominent coal industry also provided comments in favor of the wind farm.
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But concerns expressed by some residents about the project's potential impacts to roads, farming operations, a local airport and wildlife ultimately won out and were cited by the commission as reasons for denying the permit.
The permit was just the first regulatory approval needed for the 94-turbine, 30,000-acre project. There would be more at the county and state level.
Coal Creek impacts
Apex presented to the county a plan that included confirmed lease agreements for where the project would go, as well as support from the North Dakota Game and Fish Department and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service due to the project's buffers from a number of protected lands. However, it was still met with skepticism, especially due to the lack of a finalized road use plan, since the heavy equipment can damage roads often used by farmers and residents.
Apex said it would enter into a road use agreement with the county to maintain, repair and improve the roads used, but said it was too early to include a final road plan. During the hearing company representatives said such plans tend to come later in the permitting process when more project details are finalized, like where the turbines would specifically go.
Apex spokeswoman Anna Hays in a statement said, “While we’re disappointed in the results of the McLean County preliminary public hearing, Apex Clean Energy is confident in the merits of Discovery Wind’s proposed project map and project. Our team is currently evaluating our options for next steps in the siting process.” Hays did not offer further comment.
The proposed wind farm has been in the works for over two years. Its development was made possible after McLean County dropped some ordinances that restricted wind energy development. Restrictions came in response to worries that wind power would displace electricity from the local Coal Creek Station after Minnesota-based Great River Energy announced in 2020 it would close the plant following years of unprofitable operations.
State officials scrambled to find a buyer to keep Coal Creek alive. In 2022, Bismarck-based Rainbow Energy bought the station, along with a 436-mile-long Nexus power line that sends electricity to the Twin Cities from McLean County. GRE then signed a contract with Rainbow to continue buying power from the 1,151 megawatt Coal Creek plant for about a decade, though the plan intended to decrease GRE's purchases over that time period of coal power which would start to be replaced with wind energy beginning in 2025.
Rainbow has a number of plans to keep Coal Creek operating which include attaching relatively nascent carbon capture technology to the plant, recycling waste materials for use in the production of cement and other goods, as well as plans to provide power locally to a data center. But a denial for the wind farm could impact the plant's future.
Rainbow CEO Stacy Tschider told the commission that revenues Rainbow gets from the wind power going on the transmission line would go back to the coal plant's operations.
He said the wind farm had been part of Rainbow's plans for the area since the 2022 purchase of the plant and transmission line, calling the project, "essential for Coal Creek Station."
A letter from Carroll Dewing, the COO of NACCO Natural Resources which owns the Falkirk Mining Co. -- that supplies Coal Creek -- said the wind farm "puts the Falkirk Mine in the best position for future success." He noted it would not negatively impact the mine's operations.
The contract with GRE expires in 2031, and Minnesota has a law requiring all power to be carbon-free by 2040. North Dakota officials have indicated they likely will challenge the Minnesota law, but success hinges on a judge's decision.
GRE Vice President Jon Brekke in a statement said, "North Dakota remains a vital partner in our energy supply. We have done business in McLean County for decades, and we respect their decision. We look forward to continuing our long-standing and beneficial relationship in the county and the state." GRE declined to do an interview.
Rainbow did not respond to a request for comment.
For and against
The project's denial reflects some of the headwinds facing power companies across the country who are under pressure to build more clean energy and shake their dependence on high-emitting coal and gas plants while simultaneously meeting growing electricity demands which often come far away from where power is produced.
The fact that the wind power would be going elsewhere was brought up by some in comments during the meeting.
"They do not want them there for the same reasons -- they want the power, let them live with the turbines," McLean County resident Allen Wagner said.
Minnesota -- where the power would go -- does have its fair share of wind farms. Its capacity for wind power production is about 4,850 megawatts, compared to North Dakota's capacity of around 4,300 megawatts, according to the federal Energy Department. The project's proposed location has a lot to do with the nearby high-voltage direct current Nexus Line -- a powerful piece of infrastructure preferred for sending electricity over long distances.
"We would not want to strand one of the most valuable assets we have and that is that HVDC line," Tschider said.
Coal Creek's power has historically not been used locally either, though Rainbow's plans for a data center and other developments could change that. Tschider said during the meeting the plant was providing power to a "load," but did not specify if it was the data center.
Other past large developments in the area likely did the prospect for another one few favors. Some residents highlighted gripes with the operations of the Nexus Line which was built in the 1970s.
"I think we've done our part for energy development," said Colette Ronderos, whose land is crossed by the power line.
Still, those who support the project said Apex had been a good partner. Company representatives noted that of the land secured for the project, 67% of it is owned by people residing in McLean County.
Wayne Carlson, who signed a lease, said he does not live in the area anymore, but did for most of his life. He told the commission that the lease payments from Apex would help him keep the land in his family's hands. Others who supported the project said it would further develop the local economy.
"It's not just the money," Carlson said.
Some, however, said the wind farm would ruin the bucolic nature of the land they own, live on and work on. They expressed concerns about noise and their ability to continue to use their land for hunting due to the project's potential impact on wildlife, especially birds.
Mark Jennings said he signed a lease for the project. He said it took him some time to come to the decision due to the potential impact to his neighbors, but ultimately Jennings said he put it in context with what he has seen from other wind projects in North Dakota, noting he had recently hunted near multiple wind farms with success and has seen impacted roads be repaired and improved.
Apex had Clayton Derby, a wildlife biologist from Western EcoSystems Technology -- an environmental consulting company -- present to the commission on the potential impact of wind projects on wildlife. He said hundreds of studies have documented that wind farms do kill birds, but not at great numbers. He noted the already large amount of wind developments in the area which have not wiped out wildlife.
"Everything we do has an impact ... the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service did a study years ago looking at the impacts of various human developments on birds and wind was a small fraction of (it)," he said. "Roads, power lines, buildings, cats; cats are the number one by far -- several billion birds a year die by cats. But there (is) an impact; its about two birds per megawatt generally, and that's spread across all birds, not just waterfowl."
The county's decision can be appealed by adversely affected landowners.