BISMARCK—Last week The Dakotan reported on a new decommissioning plan for the North Dakota side of the Tatanka Wind Farm. On Dec. 29 the Public Service Commission (PSC) accepted that new decommissioning plan for the 61 turbines located in Dickey County. The other 59 turbines of the wind farm are located in South Dakota.
In that previous article, The Dakotan stated that the 61 turbines in Dickey County are actually scheduled for decommissioning. This is not the case, according to Stacy Eberl, PSC staff member in charge of consumer affairs and public outreach. Rather, the company was simply filing a revision to its required plan.
“There is a requirement in North Dakota for all wind farms to have a decommissioning plan in place." Stacy Eberl, Public Service Commissioner
“There is a requirement in North Dakota for all wind farms to have a decommissioning plan in place,” said Eberl. “It might be 50 or 60 years from now,” Eberl continued, “but they have to have a plan.”
Eberl went on to explain that any new wind farm facilities must have a decommissioning plan approved by the PSC prior to operation. This rule went into effect July 1, 2017. At that same time, the PSC requested that existing facilities submit decommissioning plans within the next year.
A PSC press release from July 3, 2018, explains these PSC rules changes, as well as the purposes behind them. In that press release, Commissioner Julie Fedorchak explained, “The work we’ve done on decommissioning rules ensures three things. First, companies know what’s required for decommissioning on the front end and can plan for it. Second, they will have good cost estimates based on data from qualified engineers. And third, financial assurances from owners will be in place to pay for decommissioning.”
For more information about the NDPSC in general, see www.psc.nd.gov.
