Apr 21, 2008 4:51 pm US/Central
Coal-Fired Power Plant Awaits Needed Permits
WATERTOWN, S.D. (AP) ―
-
-
Regulators in Minnesota have been considering permits for transmission lines for more than two and a half years, said Big Stone II spokesman Dan Sharp. (File)
CBS
It's been four years since the coal-fired Big Stone II power plant was proposed for the Big Stone City area, and it's still waiting for the permits it needs so construction can start.
Regulators in Minnesota have been considering permits for transmission lines for more than two and a half years, said Big Stone II spokesman Dan Sharp.
It's been a long, frustrating delay to the five companies in the project, he said, adding that delays in the permit process will push the project back three years from the original intended start of construction.
Officials estimate it now will take at least four years to build the plant, which could be done by 2013 if construction can start next year.
"Every permit we've applied for and had a ruling on, we've gotten," Sharp said. "So that's a good thing."
The coal-fired electric generation plant would be built next to one constructed in the 1970s and would provide over 500 megawatts of power.
Opponents say the coal to fuel the plant would threaten air and water in the area.
South Dakota officials quickly approved major permits to build the $1.5 billion plant.
A permit for the transmission lines into Minnesota, an emissions permit from South Dakota and a federal Environmental Protection Agency ruling on an environmental impact study remain pending.
"We have to get a favorable ruling on the EIS by the feds," Sharp said. "We hope to have that in September."
A recommendation is expected soon from a Minnesota judge on the transmission line issue.
"A Minnesota administrative law judge has to issue an opinion (on the lines) and send that to the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission," Sharp said. "That could happen any time."
The project could have an air quality permit from South Dakota by October or November, Sharp said.
The new plant's transmission lines would run south of Big Stone City for about 40 miles, then east into Minnesota to the Granite Falls area.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
