South Dakota just approved its largest wind farm ever

South Dakota just approved what will become its biggest wind farm yet — a 333‑megawatt (MW) project planned across 68,300 acres in Haakon County, about 85 miles east of Rapid City.

The South Dakota Public Utilities Commission voted on February 12 to grant a permit for the Philip Wind Project, a $750 million installation that could include up to 87 turbines and a 5.5‑mile, 230‑kilovolt transmission tie line. When built, it’s expected to be the largest wind farm in the state, according to commission chair Chris Nelson, who said the developer met the legal requirements for approval.

The permit follows a settlement agreement between regulators and developer Philip Wind Partners, a subsidiary of Chicago-based Invenergy, submitted at the end of January after negotiations resolved all outstanding issues.

Commissioners pressed for extra details before signing off, including information on easements, aircraft‑detection lighting systems, transmission route adjustments, and responses to concerns raised during a public input meeting held in October 2025 in the town of Philip.

“That meeting gave us an opportunity to get additional information, make changes, and develop conditions that have made this project better,” said PUC vice chairperson Kristie Fiegen.

Philip Wind Partners first filed its application on August 15, 2025, which triggered the state’s nine‑month review clock. Beyond turbines, the project blueprint includes a 34.5‑kilovolt collection system, a collector substation rated at 230 kV, supervisory control and data acquisition systems, an operations and maintenance facility, access roads, up to three meteorological towers, and up to three aircraft‑detection lighting towers.

If the remaining pre‑construction steps are completed on schedule, construction could begin in June 2026. The project will connect to the grid through less than one mile of an existing 230‑kV transmission line owned by Basin Electric Power Cooperative. The Western Area Power Administration plans to build a new Philip North Switchyard and two tie‑ins linking the wind farm to its existing Oahe‑to‑New Underwood 230‑kV line.

Electrek’s Take

Big wind projects like this don’t get approved quietly anymore; they go through months of scrutiny, public input, and technical revisions. The Philip Wind Project shows how permitting is becoming more complex even in traditionally wind‑friendly states, and South Dakota is a huge wind state.

In 2024, wind power provided 59% of South Dakota’s total electricity generation, a larger share than any other state except Iowa.

If Philip Wind stays on schedule, adding 333 MW of generation capacity in a single build would be a meaningful boost to grid supply in the region, especially as utilities brace for rising electricity demand.

And it just goes to show that despite Trump’s hatred of wind power, the US is still building wind farms, and in red states, no less.

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