Feb. 17, 2026
By Joshua Haiar, South Dakota Searchlight
South Dakota regulators approved a permit last week for a $750 million, 333 megawatt wind farm spread across approximately 110 square miles of private land.
A wind turbine on a farmer’s land near Aberdeen; photo by Joshua Haiar, South Dakota Searchlight
The site selected by Philip Wind Partners, a subsidiary of Chicago-based Invenergy, is north of Philip and about 85 miles east of Rapid City. Plans call for up to 87 turbines and 5.5 miles of electrical transmission line, creating enough capacity to power hundreds of thousands of homes.
According to the application, the project will create about 200 construction jobs and 12 long-term jobs. Over the next 30 years, the company anticipates paying $85 million to landowners, $50 million in property taxes and $10 million in other state and local sales taxes.
The South Dakota Public…
