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South Dakota Public Utilities Commission Meeting
March 4, 2022, at 9:30 A.M. CST
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. CST on Thursday, March 3, 2022, 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 the Minutes of the Ad Hoc Commission Meeting Held on February 10, 2022, and the Commission Meeting Held on February 18, 2022 (Staff: Janeth Merriman)

Consumer Reports

1.   Status Report on Consumer Utility Inquiries (Consumer Affairs: Deb Gregg)

Electric

1.   EL21-018   In the Matter of the Application by North Bend Wind Project, LLC for a Permit to Construct and Operate the North Bend Wind Project in Hyde County and Hughes County, South Dakota (Staff Analysts: Darren Kearney, Jon Thurber; Staff Attorney: Amanda Reiss)

         On June 23, 2021, North Bend Wind Project, LLC (North Bend or Project) filed an application for a permit to construct the North Bend Wind Project, a wind energy facility located on approximately 46,931 acres of land in Hyde County and Hughes County, South Dakota, in the townships of Butte, Chapelle, Harrold, Holabird, Pleasant Valley, Pratt, and Webster. The total installed capacity of the Project would not exceed 200 megawatts nameplate capacity. The proposed Project includes up to 71 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 230-kV collection substation, a 230-kV interconnection switching station, an aircraft detection lighting system and one permanent meteorological tower. The Project will interconnect to Western Area Power Administration’s Fort Thompson-Oahe 230-kV transmission line, which crosses the southern portion of the project area. The Project, at the time of filing this application, has not executed a purchase power agreement. The Project is expected to be operational in late 2022. Applicant estimates the total cost of the Project to be between $265 and $285 million. On September 17, 2021, the Commission granted party status to Judi Bollweg, individually and on behalf of Tumbleweed Lodge and Bollweg Family, LLLP, and Michael Bollweg, individually and on behalf of Bollweg Family, LLLP. On November 1, 2021, the Commission issued an Order granting Motion for Procedural Schedule. On November 16, 2021, North Bend filed a Motion to Extend the Deadline and requested the Commission suspend the current schedule. The Commission granted North Bend’s Motion to Extend the Deadline and Ordered the parties to submit a revised procedural schedule by December 7, 2021. On December 14, 2021, the Commission issued an Order granting Motion to Adopt Revised Procedural Schedule. On February 25, 2022, North Bend filed a Motion to Extend Deadline to extend the deadline for a Commission decision and suspend the current schedule.

         TODAY, shall the Commission grant the Motion to Extend Deadline? OR how shall the Commission proceed?

2.   EL21-033   In the Matter of Otter Tail Power Company’s Proposal for a Residential Time of Day Pilot Plan (Staff Analyst: Patrick Steffensen; Staff Attorney: Kristen Edwards)

         On November 19, 2021, Otter Tail Power Company (Otter Tail) filed a letter requesting to remove the Residential Time of Day Pilot, Rate Schedule 9.04, due to a change in Otter Tail’s automated metering infrastructure (AMI) deployment schedule. Otter Tail states the pilot has been delayed to coincide with its deployment of the AMI project. On February 8, 2022, Otter Tail filed revised tariff sheets that remove the Residential Time of Day Pilot and make other cleanup revisions to the Index, Availability Matrix, and Applicability Matrix.

         TODAY, shall the Commission grant Otter Tail’s request to remove the Residential Time of Day Pilot and approve the revised tariff sheets with an effective date of April 1, 2022?

Grain Warehouse

1.   GW21-004   In the Matter of the Grain Buyer Bond of Pipeline Foods, LLC (Grain Warehouse Manager: Cody Chambliss; Staff Attorneys: Kristen Edwards, Amanda Reiss)

         On August 12, 2021, staff opened this docket to seek and disburse bond proceeds from the grain buyer bond of Pipeline Foods, LLC (Pipeline) for the licensing year 2020-2021, after Pipeline filed for bankruptcy. Notice was published and sent to customers of Pipeline, notifying customers of the bond and their right to file claims against it, as well as providing claim forms to the customers. Staff determined that three producers had a bond-eligible claim, however, one producer chose not to pursue bond coverage. On February 24, 2022, staff filed a Motion for Disbursement of Grain Buyer Bond.

         TODAY, shall the Commission order disbursement of the proceeds of Pipeline’s grain buyer bond? AND how shall the proceeds be disbursed? OR how shall the Commission proceed?

Items for Commission Discussion

Public Comment

Individuals who wish to make public comments to the commission may do so during this time. All who offer public comments are requested to sign in at the commission meeting or let the commission know of their wish to speak when they call in to reserve a phone line. Time limits for comments may be determined at the discretion of the commission.

Announcements

1. The next regular commission meeting will be Tuesday, March 15, 2022, at 9:30 a.m. CDT in Room 413 at the State Capitol Building, Pierre, South Dakota.

2. Public input meetings for docket HP22-001 - In the Matter of the Application by SCS Carbon Transport LLC for a Permit to Construct a Carbon Dioxide Transmission Pipeline will be held:

  • Tuesday, March 22, 2022, beginning at 5:30 p.m. CDT in the Sully Buttes High School Gymnasium, 500 S. 8th Street, Onida, South Dakota.
  • Wednesday, March 23, 2022, beginning at 5:30 p.m. CDT in the Washington Room, Ramkota Conference Center, 3200 W. Maple Street, Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
  • Thursday, March 24, 2022, beginning at 12:00 p.m. (noon) CDT in the De Smet Event Center, 705 Wilder Lane, De Smet, South Dakota.
  • Thursday, March 24, 2022, beginning at 5:30 p.m. CDT in the Redfield School Auditorium, 111 E. 6th Avenue, Redfield, South Dakota.
  • Friday, March 25, 2022, beginning at 12:00 p.m. (noon) CDT in the Northern Room, Ramkota Hotel, 1400 8th Avenue Northwest, Aberdeen, South Dakota.

3. PUC commissioners and staff will meet with consumers at the Black Hills Home Builders Association Home Show, March 25-27, 2022, at The Monument, Rapid City, South Dakota.

4. Commission meetings are scheduled for March 29 and April 14, 2022.

 

/s/ Cindy Kemnitz                 .
Cindy Kemnitz
Finance Manager
puc@state.sd.us
February 25, 2022