North Dakota third in wind, despite slowed growth

According to the Earth Policy Institute (see their article here), which used U.S. Energy Information Administration data, North Dakota ranks third in wind generation, which accounts for 15 percent of its total electricity portfolio. The state comes in behind Iowa (19 percent) and South Dakota (14 percent) with a total of around 1,400 megawatts of power. North Dakota Public Service Commissioner Chairman Tony Clark says that despite the ranking, the pace of wind energy growth has slowed due to the fact that two-thirds of North Dakota’s wind energy is typically exported to areas that are suffering from the economic downturn.  A 200-megawatt proposed wind farm in McIntosh County has been put on hold after it was approved more than a year ago. Some cite the transmission bottlenecks and uncertainty with federal tax credits as roadblocks to future wind development, though North Dakota is desirable for developers with its business climate.

Read the Bismarck Tribune article about North Dakota’s ranking.
Read the Jamestown Sun article on the slower growth of wind energy in the state. (registration may be required)

You may be interested in:
Great Plains Energy Corridor Spotlight on Wind Energy (statistics and data from 2011)