By Scout Nelson
The North Dakota Public Service Commission has granted a waiver for the Badger Wind Farm near Wishek, allowing 9 of its 92 turbines to be equipped with standard red lights rather than the aircraft detection lighting system (ADLS). This decision comes after concerns raised by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which had initially stated that the turbines were too close to the Wishek airport for the ADLS system to be used.
The FAA had originally planned to deny the installation of the ADLS on 19 turbines. Badger Wind Farm representatives testified that the denial of the waiver could result in the loss of 10 additional turbine locations, reducing the total number of turbines in the project from 92 to 82. The Public Service Commission approved the waiver unanimously, allowing the turbines to operate with standard red lights.
Although the commission approved the waiver, Kringstad, a representative of the commission, suggested that state laws and rules regarding wind farm regulations may need further review to prevent similar issues in the future. The approval of the waiver allows the Badger Wind Farm project to move forward as planned, avoiding a significant reduction in the number of turbines to be constructed.
Categories: North Dakota, Government & Policy