By: Keith Norman, The Jamestown Sun

An 81- to 87-turbine wind farm project between Ashley and Lehr received a hearing from the North Dakota Public Service Commission Monday in Ashley.

The 200-megawatt farm is a project of Competitive Power Ventures of Maryland and is slated to begin operation late in 2012.

“North Dakota has a national reputation as a wind resource,” said Gener Gotiangco, vice president of Competitive Power Ventures. “It is a very favorable environment here.”

John Hafner, project manager, said the site was chosen due to the wind resource, connectivity to existing power grid and land owner support.

CPV will sell the power from the project to the Tennessee Valley Authority. The TVA is a federal agency meaning the project requires a level of federal approval not normally required of North Dakota wind farms. The time frame necessary to achieve the federal authorization has also pushed to start dates back to nearly two years in the future.

“It is not routine that we get this kind of construction timeline,” said Commissioner Kevin Cramer. “Usually we are under the gun to make a decision.”

A federal decision under the National Environmental Protection Act may come before the end of the year, Cramer said. If the report shows “Findings of No Significant Impact” the project will move ahead with dirt work and road improvements in 2011 and turbine installation starting in 2012.

Hafner said the project encompasses 17,400 acres of the 37,000 acres CPV has under contract in the area. The project has a 1/4 mile setback from wildlife production areas, does not impact any prime farmland, avoids archeology sites such as stone circles and has a 1/2 mile setback from critical habitat of the piping plover, an endangered species of bird.

The project also has located all turbines at least 1/4 mile from occupied residents that are under contract to the company and 1/2 mile from any residences not under contract. Turbines are also located a distance at least 10 percent greater than the height of the turbine from any road right of ways.

If constructed, the project will employ between 50 and 80 people during the construction phase and 10 to 16 during operation. Its operation and maintenance headquarters will be located near Ashley.

The CPV Ashley Wind Farm has a $400 million estimated cost. During operations it will pay about $1 million in state and local taxes annually with $300,000 of those taxes going to the local school districts.

A decision on the site authorization from the North Dakota PSC is expected in about two months.

Sun reporter Keith Norman can be reached at (701) 952-8452 or by e-mail at knorman@jamestownsun.com