032707

Public Utilities Commission
Capitol Building, 1st floor
500 E. Capitol Ave.
Pierre, SD 57501-5070
Phone: (605) 773-3201

Commission Agendas | previous page

South Dakota Public Utilities Commission Meeting

Tuesday, March 27, 2007, at 9:30 A.M.

State Capitol Building, Room 412

Pierre, South Dakota

NOTE: If you wish to join this meeting by conference call, please contact the Commission at 605-773-3201 by 5:00 p.m. on March 26, 2007. Lines are limited and are given out on first come/first serve basis, subject to possible reassignment to accommodate persons who must appear in a proceeding. Ultimately, if you wish to participate in 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 Web site www.puc.sd.gov and click on the LIVE button on the home page. The Commission requests that persons who will only be listening to proceedings and not actively appearing in a case listen via the Web cast to free phone lines for those who have to appear. The Commission meetings are archived on the PUC's Web site under the Commission Actions tab and then click on the LISTEN button on the page.

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

Consumer Reports

1. Status Report on Consumer Utility Inquiries and Complaints Received by the Commission. (Consumer Affairs: Deb Gregg)

Electric

1. EL06-020 In the Matter of the Application by Navitas Energy, Inc. for an Energy Conversion Facility Permit for the Construction of the White Wind Farm and Associated Collection Substation and Electric Interconnection System (Staff Analysts: Martin Bettmann/Bob Knadle/Nathan Solem, Staff Attorney: Karen Cremer)

On July 11, 2006, White Wind Farm, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Navitas Energy, Inc., filed an application seeking an Energy Conversion Facility Permit to construct and operate the White Wind Farm. The White Wind Farm is a proposed 200 MW wind energy electricity generating facility and ancillary services located on approximately 93 acres in Sherman Township, southeast of White, South Dakota in Brookings County. The project consists of up to 105 2 MW wind turbine generators, associated electric collector lines, a collection substation and interconnection and upgrades to the WAPA White Substation. On September 8, 2006, Interstate Telecommunications Cooperative, Inc. (ITC) filed an Application for Party Status. The South Dakota Rural Electric Association (SDREA) filed a Petition to Intervene on September 11, 2006. On September 19, 2006, the Local Review Committee filed a request for $2,000 from the Commission in order to hire a consultant to assist in carrying out the review committee's responsibilities. Sioux Valley Electric (Sioux Valley) filed a Petition to Intervene on October 18, 2006. Intervention was granted to Sioux Valley at the October 31, 2006, commission meeting. On March 19, 2007, ITC filed a request to withdraw as a party to the docket. Party status was granted to ITC, intervention was granted to SDREA and the local review committee's request for $2,000 to hire a consultant was granted at the September 26, 2006, commission meeting.

TODAY, shall the Commission Grant ITC's Request to Withdraw?

2. EL07-009 In the Matter of the Filing by Black Hills Power, Inc. for Approval of Tariff Revisions. (Staff Analysts: Brian Rounds/Dave Jacobson, Staff Attorney: Kara Van Bockern)

Application by Black Hills Power Inc. for approval to modify its tariffs affected by the trial change in Daylight Savings Time mandated by the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Black Hills is seeking expedited approval to modify the time periods referenced in the attached tariffs to the current meter programming during the evaluation of the modified Daylight Savings Time. This will avoid potentially duplicative costs from reprogramming the meters for this temporary change and then reprogramming a second time based upon the results of the trial Daylight Savings Time modification.

TODAY, shall the Commission Approve the Tariff Revisions?

Natural Gas

1. NG07-003 In the Matter of the Filing by NorthWestern Energy for Approval of a Contract with Deviations with Great Plains Ethanol. (Staff Analyst: Dave Jacobson, Staff Attorney: Karen Cremer)

Application by NorthWestern Energy for approval of contract with deviation and associated tariff revisions. NorthWestern is proposing to adopt the contract that was in effect between Great Plains Ethanol, LLC and NorthWestern Services Group. The rate that is currently contracted between the customer and NorthWestern will not change. The original contract was dated September 2, 2002, with a term of 15 years beginning at plant start up. Over the past year, Northwestern has evaluated its non-regulated businesses and has looked at the strategic value of each entity versus the resources that are dedicated to these business units. After a thorough evaluation of the non-regulated gas business in SD/NE, it has been decided by the Northwestern Services, LLC management committee to execute a strategy to shift the majority of this business (Nekota Resources, LLC) into the regulated utility and look at alternatives to divest the rest of this business.