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South Dakota Public Utilities Commission Meeting
July 8, 2020, at 9:30 A.M. CDT
Room 413, Capitol Building
Pierre, South Dakota
NOTE: Docket participants who wish to join this meeting by conference call should contact the Commission at 605-773-3201 by 5:00 p.m. CDT on Tuesday, July 7, 2020, to reserve a phone line. Lines are limited and assigned on a first come, first served basis, subject to possible reassignment to accommodate persons who must appear in a proceeding. Ultimately, if you wish to participate in docket discussion at the Commission Meeting and a line is not available, you may have to appear in person.
NOTE: To listen to the Commission Meeting live please go to the PUC’s website www.puc.sd.gov and click on the LIVE link on the home page. The Commission requests persons who will only be listening to proceedings and not actively appearing in a case listen via the webcast to free phone lines for those who have to appear. The Commission meetings are archived on the PUC’s website under the Commission Actions tab. Click on “Commission Meeting Archives,” to access the recordings.
NOTE: Notice is further given to persons with disabilities that this Commission meeting is being held in a physically accessible place. If you have special needs, please notify the Commission and we will make all necessary arrangements.
AGENDA OF COMMISSION MEETING
Administration
1. Approval of Minutes of the Commission Meeting Held on June 23, 2020 (Staff: Macy Jo Murren)
Consumer Reports
1. Status Report on Consumer Utility Inquiries (Consumer Affairs: Deb Gregg)
Electric
1. EL18-026 In the Matter of the Application by Prevailing Wind Park, LLC for a Permit of a Wind Energy Facility in Bon Homme County, Charles Mix County and Hutchinson County, South Dakota, for the Prevailing Wind Park Project (Staff Analysts: Darren Kearney, Jon Thurber; Staff Attorney: Kristen Edwards)
On May 30, 2018, Prevailing Wind Park, LLC (Applicant) filed an application to construct the Prevailing Wind Park Project (Project), a wind energy facility located in Bon Homme, Charles Mix and Hutchinson counties, South Dakota. The Project includes up to 61 wind turbine generators, access roads to turbines and associated facilities, underground electrical power collector lines connecting the turbines to the collection substation, an operation and maintenance facility, and temporary construction areas, including crane paths, public road improvements, a laydown yard, and a concrete batch plant(s) (as needed), and four permanent meteorological towers. The Commission issued a Final Decision and Order Granting Permit to Construct Facilities (Permit) on November 28, 2018. On June 29, 2020, Applicant filed a letter requesting confirmation that sound measurements do not have to be taken at the Hubner or Fuerniss residences to comply with Condition 42 of the Permit. Condition 42 requires Applicant to verify compliance with sound level requirements at the residences of the Intervenors.
TODAY, shall the Commission confirm that sound measurements do not have to be taken at the Hubner or Fuerniss residences to comply with Condition 42 of the Permit? OR, how shall the Commission proceed?
2. EL19-003 In the Matter of the Application by Crowned Ridge Wind, LLC for a Permit of a Wind Energy Facility in Grant and Codington Counties (Staff Analysts: Darren Kearney, Jon Thurber, Eric Paulson; Staff Attorneys: Kristen Edwards, Amanda Reiss)
On January 30, 2019, the Commission received an Application for a Facility Permit for a wind energy facility (Application) from Crowned Ridge Wind, LLC (Crowned Ridge or Applicant) to construct a wind energy conversion facility to be located in Grant and Codington counties, South Dakota (Project). Applicant has executed a power purchase agreement with Northern States Power Company (NSP) to sell NSP the full output of the Project. Applicant estimates the total cost of the Project to be $400 million. On July 26, 2019, the Commission issued a Final Decision and Order Granting Permit to Construct Facility; Notice of Entry (Permit). On January 9, 2020, the Commission issued an Order Approving Temporary Waiver of Condition 2 of the Permit as it relates to the requirement to install low noise trailing edge (LNTE) attachments on all turbine blades. On June 29, 2020, Crowned Ridge filed its progress report explaining the status of the LNTE installation. In the report, Crowned Ridge identified that it would no longer curtail certain turbines as of June 30, 2020, due to completed LNTE attachments on turbines 21, 29, 33, 37, 41, 44, 46, 48, 50, 52, 61, 63, 64, 66, and 95. On June 30, 2020, intervenor Amber Christenson filed a response to Crowned Ridge’s progress report, demanding the Commission enforce the Order Approving Temporary Waiver and Permit and not allow Crowned Ridge to stop curtailment of the turbines until all turbine blades are fitted with LNTEs.
TODAY, how shall the Commission proceed?
3. EL20-013 In the Matter of the Application by Meridian Wind Project, LLC for a Permit of a Wind Energy Facility and a 345-kV Transmission Facility in Hyde County, South Dakota (Staff Analysts: Darren Kearney, Jon Thurber; Staff Attorney: Kristen Edwards)
On April 23, 2020, the Commission received an Application for a Facility Permit (Application) from Meridian Wind Project, LLC (Meridian or Applicant), a wholly-owned, indirect subsidiary of ENGIE North America, Inc. Meridian proposes to construct a wind energy conversion facility and an 8.9-mile, 345-kV transmission line to be located in Hyde County, South Dakota (Project). The Project would be situated within approximately 15,043-acres in the townships of Van Order, Eagle, Chapelle, Highmore, and Holabird, South Dakota. The total installed capacity of the Project would not exceed 175 megawatts (MW) of nameplate capacity. The proposed Project includes up to 64 wind turbine generators, access roads to turbines and associated facilities, underground 34.5-kilovolt (kV) electrical collector lines, underground fiber-optic cable, a 34.5-kV to 345-kV collection substation, and one permanent meteorological tower. The Project will interconnect to the high-voltage transmission grid via a 345-kV interconnection switch station (Chapelle Station) located at the western end of the Project’s transmission line. Chappelle Station is owned and operated by Basin Electric Power Cooperative and is under construction in conjunction with the Triple H Wind Project. The power produced by the Project will be injected at the Chappelle Creek Substation and into Basin Electric Power Cooperative’s existing electrical infrastructure. The Project, at the time of filing this Application, has not executed a Power Purchase Agreement. The Project is expected to be completed in 2021. Applicant estimates the total cost of the Project to be $220 million. On June 22, 2020, the Commission received an application for party status from Nicolas Ferens.
TODAY, shall the Commission grant intervention to any party who may have filed?
4. EL20-020 In the Matter of the Joint Request for an Electric Service Rights Exception between Northern States Power Company dba Xcel Energy and Sioux Valley-Southwestern Electric Cooperative, Inc. dba Sioux Valley Energy (Staff Analyst: Lorena Reichert; Staff Attorney: Amanda Reiss)
On June 16, 2020, the Commission received a filing requesting approval of a Joint Service Exception Agreement for Electric Service between Northern States Power Company dba Xcel Energy (Xcel Energy) and Sioux Valley-Southwestern Electric Cooperative, Inc. (Sioux Valley) to allow Xcel Energy to provide a 400 amp, 3-phase grain dryer electric service located in Section 2 of Township 103 North, Range 48 West in Minnehaha County, South Dakota. The service address is 48296 251st Street, Garretson, South Dakota 57030 and is located in Sioux Valley’s service territory.
TODAY, shall the Commission approve the requested service rights exception between Xcel Energy and Sioux Valley-Southwestern Electric Cooperative, Inc.?
Items for Commission Discussion
Public Comment
Individuals who wish to make public comments to the commission may do so in person during this time. All who offer public comment are requested to sign in at the commission meeting. Time limits for comments may be determined at the discretion of the commission.
Announcements
1. The PUC office will be closed Friday, July 3, 2020, in observance of Independence Day.
2. The next regular commission meeting will be held Thursday, July 23, 2020, at 1:30 p.m. CDT in Room 413 at the State Capitol Building, Pierre, South Dakota.
3. Commission meetings are scheduled for August 4 and 18, 2020.
/s/ Cindy Kemnitz
Cindy Kemnitz
Finance Manager
puc@state.sd.us
July 1, 2020
