Minnkota Wins DOE Award

The U.S. Department of Energy's Wind Program, through its Wind Powering America initiative, announced that Minnkota Power Cooperative has received the 2010 Wind Cooperative of the Year Award. The award was presented at the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) TechAdvantage Conference in Orlando, Florida. This 10th annual award honors the North Dakota-based NRECA member for its outstanding leadership, innovation, project creativity and benefits to customers resulting from North Dakota's first utility-owned wind turbine and its other investments wind power. The cooperative was selected for the honor from a group of eight nominees nationwide. Read more...

Another Keystone Delay

TransCanada Corp. reportedly has delayed work on the power infrastructure needed to support the Nebraska component of the company's proposed Keystone XL pipeline project. The work was to be done by the Nebraska Public Power District at a cost of nearly $50 million and included over 70 miles of transmission lines for three pumping stations along the pipeline's route in Nebraska. According to a report this weekend, the completion date for that project has been pushed back to October 2012 as TransCanada continues to await the federal government's approval of the pipeline. Read more...

Minnesota Ethanol Plant Is Switching to Butanol

An Englewood, Colo. company named Gevo is converting an ethanol plant it purchased in Luverne, Minn. to make isobutanol, one of a number of new pathways to butanol, a chemical that can be used for fuel for many other purposes. Read more...

South Dakota Wind Farm Completed

North Dakota-based Basin Electric has announced that the last turbine of the $363-million Crow Lake Wind Project just east of Chamberlain, S.D., was commissioned Feb. 27 and the entire project is now fully operational. Read more...

Modular Wind Tower Under Development

A Nebraska company is designing a wind tower that can be build in panel sections and transported on standard flatbed trucks. The company, NorthStar Wind of Blair, Neb., says their design will reduce the transport logistics of wind farm construction by up to 70%. Commercial production is expected to begin in 2012. Read more...