PREVAILING WIND PARK PROJECT

​Prevailing Wind Park, LLC proposes to construct the Prevailing Wind Park (Project) in Bon Homme, Charles Mix, Yankton, and Hutchinson Counties, South Dakota.  The Project would include up to 100 wind turbines, spread across roughly 47,000 acres of privately owned land.  The Project would also include associated access roads, a new collector substation, an operations and maintenance (O&M) facility, and associated transmission interconnection facilities.  The Project would interconnect to WAPA’s existing Utica Junction Substation.

WAPA’S INVOLVEMENT

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.  The federal interconnection process is separate​ from any State, County, or local permitting and approvals that may be required.

​The proposed interconnection of the Project to WAPA’s transmission system is a Federal action under NEPA.  As a result, an Environmental Assessment (EA) was prepared to evaluate the environmental effects of the Project.  The EA tiered from the analysis conducted in the Upper Great Plains (UGP) Wind Energy Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS).  The PEIS can be viewed here​. Together, the EA and the PEIS comprise​ the NEPA documentation for this proposed Federal action.  WAPA found no significant environmental impacts and will not prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).  WAPA intends to grant the interconnection request and has prepared a Finding of No Significant Impact.

PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT

WAPA held one open-house meeting on December 13th, 2017 and the scoping period concluded on January 13th, 2018.

A draft EA was prepared and made available for public review and comment from January 22, 2019 to February 25, 2019.

​FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL DOCUMENTS

CONTACT INFORMATION

Christina Gomer

Western Area Power Administration

UGP NEPA Coordinator

2900 4th Avenue North

Billings, MT 59101-1266

(406) 255-2811​

gomer@wapa.gov

 

Last modified on August 7th, 2023