The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (MPUC) unanimously approved Minnesota Power's request to recover investments and expenditures related to its $157 million, 105 MW Bison 2 wind project through a renewable resources rider.
The company's filing documented the cost advantage from adding the Bison 2 project in 2012, due in part to capital cost reductions for wind turbines, location and the federal Production Tax Credit. The project is adjacent to Minnesota Power's Bison 1 project that is currently under construction.
The 35 Siemens wind turbines at Bison 2 are expected to reduce market electricity purchases and thermal generation production. The expansion is expected to be online in 2012.
The company filed plans for a similar sized project, Bison 3, with the MPUC in June. That project is scheduled to come online in 2012.
