SD Prairie Winds

South Dakota Prairie Winds Project

​PrairieWinds, SD1, Incorporated, a subsidiary of Basin Electric, proposes to construct, own, operate, and maintain the South Dakota PrairieWinds Project, a 150-MW wind-powered generation facility, including 101 wind-turbine generators, electrical collector lines, collector substation(s), transmission line, communications system, and service access roads to access wind- turbine sites.

There are two possible locations for the proposed Project. One site is located on about 37,000 acres about 15 miles north of White Lake, S.D., within Brule, Aurora and Jerauld counties, South Dakota. For this alternative, the requested interconnection is with WAPA’s electric transmission system at Wessington Springs Substation, located in Jerauld County, South Dakota. The other site is located on about 83,000 acres about 8 miles south of Winner, S.D., entirely within Tripp County, South Dakota. If this alternative is selected, the interconnection request will be with WAPA’s electric transmission system at Winner Substation, located in Tripp County.

Final Enviromental Impact Statement Available

WAPA and the USDA Rural Utilities Service have jointly issued a final environmental impact statement for the proposed South Dakota PrairieWinds Project and Wind Partners’ proposed development.

Project Updated

• Announcement of FEIS availability (59 KB PDF)
• Request a copy of the draft environmental impact statement
• Notice of DEIS availability and public hearing announcement (215 KB PDF)
• Project area map (2.5 MB PDF)
• Scoping meeting advertisement (260 KB PDF)
• Notice of Intent to prepare an environmental impact statement (55 KB PDF)
• EIS determination (18 KB PDF)

Final Environmental Impact Statement

• Complete Final Environmental Impact Statement (40.9 MB PDF)
• Cover (87 KB PDF)
• Cover sheet (16 KB PDF)
• Table of contents (51 KB PDF)
• Acronyms and abbreviation (46 KB PDF)
• Executive summary (529 KB PDF)
• Chapter 1 – Introduction and purpose and need (2.7 MB PDF)
• Chapter 2 – Alternatives and proposed Federal action (264 KB PDF)
• Chapter 3 – Affected environment (4.5 MB PDF)
• Chapter 4 – Environmental consequences (1.4 MB PDF)
• Chapter 5 – Cumulative impacts (1.2 MB PDF)
• Chapter 6 – Unavoidable adverse impacts (47 KB PDF)
• Chapter 7 – Irreversible and irretrievable commitments of resources (47 KB PDF)
• Chapter 8 – Short-term use and long-term productivity (2.7 MB PDF)
• Chapter 9 – Consultation and coordination (69 KB PDF)
• Chapter 10 – Disclosure statement (52 KB PDF)
• Chapter 11 – References (98 KB PDF)
• Chapter 12 – Glossary (100 KB PDF)
• Index (61 KB PDF)
• Appendix A – Scoping materials (8.4 MB PDF)
• Appendix B – Engineering drawings (1.6 MB PDF)
• Appendix C – Biological resources (1.1 MB PDF)
• Appendix D – Cultural resources (90 KB PDF)
• Appendix E – DEIS public outreach (9.0 MB PDF)
• Appendix F – Comment and response (12.0 MB PDF)
• Appendix G – Biological documents(8.5 MB PDF)

Where Can I Review the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS)?

AURORA COUNTY LIBRARY Plankinton City Library 123 North Main Plankinton, SD 57368 605-942-7600	BRULE COUNTY LIBRARY Kimball Public Library 140 North Main Street Kimball, SD 57355 605-778-6690	COZARD MEMORIAL LIBRARY Chamberlain 110 East Lawler Avenue Chamberlain, SD 57325 605-234-4414
JERAULD COUNTY LIBRARY Wessington Springs Carnegie Library 109 West Main Wessington Springs, SD 57382 605-539-1803	TRIPP COUNTY LIBRARY Winner Public Library 425 Monroe Street Winner, SD 57580 605-842-0330	RURAL UTILITIES SERVICE 1400 Independence Ave., SW Mail Stop 1571, Room 2244 Washington, DC 20250-1571 202-720-1953
WESTERN AREA POWER ADMINISTRATION Upper Great Plains Region SD Maintenance Office 200 4th Street SW Huron, SD; 57350 605-353-2501

Draft Enviromental Impact statement

The entire South Dakota Prairie Winds Project Draft Environmental Impact Statement is available here for download by section.

• Cover (688 KB PDF)
• Cover sheet (16 KB PDF)
• Table of contents (28 KB PDF)
• Acronyms and abbreviations (106 KB PDF)
• Executive summary (556 KB PDF)
• Chapter 1 – Introduction and purpose and need (985 KB PDF)
• Chapter 2 – Alternatives and proposed Federal action (1.5 MB PDF)
• Chapter 3 – Affected environment (4.7 MB PDF)
• Chapter 4 – Environmental consequences (1.7 MB PDF)
• Chapter 5 – Cumulative impact (947 KB PDF)
• Chapter 6 – Unavoidable adverse impacts (16 KB PDF)
• Chapter 7 – Irreversible and irretrievable commitments of resources (16 KB PDF)
• Chapter 8 – Short-term use and long-term productivity (16 KB PDF)
• Chapter 9 – Consultation and coordination (57 KB PDF)
• Chapter 10 – Disclosure statement (20 KB PDF)
• Chapter 11 – References (125 KB PDF)
• Chapter 12 – Glossary (121 KB PDF)
• Index (38 KB PDF)
• Appendix A – Scoping materials (6.6 MB PDF)
• Appendix B – Engineering drawings (904 KB PDF)
• Appendix C – Biological resources (2.3 MB PDF)
• Appendix D – Cultural resources (782 KB PDF)

Scoping Meeting Materials  

• Basin Electric’s project objectives (80 KB PDF)
• Comment form (45 KB PDF)
• DOE, NEPA and You brochure  
• Environmental impact statement process and schedule (1.3 MB PDF)
• Project overview PowerPoint presentation (2.4 MB PDF)
• Rural Utilities Service role and need for agency action 79 KB PDF)
• Scoping process overview (65 KB PDF)
• South Dakota wind resource map (1.4 MB PDF)
• Turbine and transmission siting (73 KB PDF) 
• WAPA role and need for agency action (79 KB PDF)

Scoping Report

• Scoping report (365 KB PDF)
• Appendix A – EIS Determination (54 KB PDF)
• Appendix B – Proposed Project Alternatives Site Maps (845 KB PDF)
• Appendix C – Notice of Intent (96 KB PDF)
• Appendix D – Local Newspaper Notices (2.4 MB PDF)
• Appendix E – Post Card Scoping Advertisement (169 KB PDF)
• Appendix F – Native American Tribe Letter and Recipient List (87 KB PDF)
• Appendix G (complete) – Interagency / Scoping Meeting Materials and Scoping Meeting Sign-in Sheets (9.1 MB PDF)
  • Appendix G – Pages 1-10 (1.7 MB PDF)
  • Appendix G – Pages 11-18 (1.3 MB PDF)
  • Appendix G – Pages 19-26 (3.7 MB PDF)
  • Appendix G – Pages 27-44 (2.2 MB PDF)
• Appendix H – Interagency Meeting Invitation Letter / Interagency Meeting and Request to be a Cooperating Agency Invitation Letter and Recipient List (118 KB PDF) 
• Appendix I (complete) – Comment Forms and Letters Received (9.2 MB PDF)
  • Appendix I – Pages 1-49 (2.8 MB PDF)
  • Appendix I – Pages 50-104 (3.4 MB PDF
  • Appendix I – Pages 105-156 (3.0 MB PDF)

Contact Information

Liana Reilly, Document Manager
Western Area Power Administration
Corporate Services Office
A7400 P.O. Box 281213
Lakewood, Colorado 80228-8213
Phone: 1-800-336-7288
Fax: 720-962-7263
E-mail: sdprairiewindseis@wapa.gov

Dennis Rankin, Project Manager
Engineering and Environmental Staff
Rural Utilities Service, Utilities Program
1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Mail Stop 1571
Washington, DC 20250–1571
Phone: 202-720–1953
E-mail: dennis.rankin@wdc.usda.gov