DOE/EA-2094

Overview

Philip Wind Partners LLC (Philip Wind Partners) proposes to construct the private Philip Wind Facility (Wind Facility) in Haakon County, South Dakota.  The Wind Facility would involve construction of a 300-megawatt (MW) wind farm generating facility that includes approximately 90 turbines (up to 6.1 MW each) and associated pads and would interconnect to WAPA’s existing New Underwood to Oahe 230-kV transmission line.

If there is available transmission capacity on the federal transmission system, WAPA provides open access to transmission services so that energy producers can transmit power to their customers.  Any entity requesting transmission services must submit an application for interconnection.  For more information about the interconnection process, visit WAPA’s website here. The federal interconnection process is separate​ from any State, County, or local permitting and approvals that may be required.

WAPA received an interconnection request from Philip Wind Partners under the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved Southwest Power Pool (SPP) Open Access Transmission Tariff (OATT). WAPA’s decision is limited to whether to proceed with the interconnection agreement and modify its facilities to accommodate the interconnection. WAPA does not directly authorize or permit a developer’s generation project.

​The proposed interconnection of the Wind Facility to WAPA’s transmission​ system is a Federal action under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).  The interconnection request was analyzed in an Environmental Assessment (EA) tiered from the analysis conducted in the Upper Great Plains Wind Energy Final Programmatic Environ​mental Impact Statement (2015 PEIS).  The 2015 PEIS can be viewed here.

WAPA evaluated the potential environmental impacts of the interconnection request and found that the Proposed Action does not significantly affect the quality of the human environment. As a result, a Finding of No Significant Impact was prepared in accordance with NEPA (42 U.S.C. 4336) and the DOE’s NEPA implementing regulations at 10 CFR 1021.322.

Public Involvement

A summary of all public comments received during scoping and the Draft EA as well as responses, is included in Appendix J of the Final EA (available for download below).

Project Links

Philip Wind Appendixes

wdt_ID Appendix Appendix Name Type
1 Appendix A Preconstruction Wind Turbine Noise Report PDF
2 Appendix B Eagle Utilization Distribution Monitoring Report PDF
3 Appendix C Whooping Crane Habitat Assessment Report PDF
4 Appendix D Prairie Dog Colony Status and Mapping Report PDF
5 Appendix E Northern Long-eared Bat Habitat Assessment Report PDF
6 Appendix F Raptor Nest Survey Report PDF
7 Appendix G Prairie Grouse Lek Survey Report_508 PDF
8 Appendix H Grassland Habitat Assessment Report PDF
9 Appendix I Water Resource Analysis Report PDF
10 Appendix J Public Involvement PDF
11 Appendix K Programmatic Biological Assessment Project Consistency Evaluation Forms PDF
12 Appendix L Philip Wind WHCR Monitoring Contingency Plan PDF
13 Appendix M Philip Wind Shadow Flicker Study PDF
14 Appendix N Cultural Resources Reports and South Dakota State Historic Preservation Office Correspondence PDF
15 Appendix O Upper Great Plains Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement BMPs PDF
16 Appendix P Bird and Bat Conservation Strategy PDF

Contact Information​

Western Area Power Administration
Attn: John Russell
2900 4th Avenue North
Billings, MT 59101-1266
(406) 255-2810
nep​a@wapa.gov

Last modified on May 8th, 2025