The larger of the two developments, the 151MW PrairieWinds project, is being built by the Basin Electric Power Cooperative and will consist of 101 turbines. It is expected to be online by March.
The second wind farm, with a 10.5MW capacity, will be built nearby. It is owned by South Dakota Wind Partners, a group consisting of local community investors.
The Dakotas have arguably the best wind resource in the US, active wind advocacy communities and a congressional delegation supportive of the wind industry.
This has been underlined by recent research highlighting South Dakota as one of four US states to derive more than 10% of its electricity from wind.
Last year, South Dakota introduced 126MW of new capacity, taking its total to 313MW.
