Another waiver needed for wind farm near Wishek

BISMARCK, N.D. (KUMV) - The Public Service Commission said there will be a public hearing for another waiver involving a wind farm project.

The Badger Wind Project will feature 92 wind turbines across Logan and McIntosh Counties. Officials with the project said they need it to install standard lighting on nine of them closest to the Wishek airport.

Documents from the Federal Aviation Administration indicate that those nine need constant lighting for the safety of aircraft. The other turbines use the Aircraft Detection Lighting System (ADLS), which lights up in proximity to aircraft and helps with light mitigation.

Nick Gebauer, senior development director for Orsted, the company behind the project, said feedback has been neutral from those impacted.

“The general sentiment was that they understood and deferred to the FAA and understood that safety is an important priority. There was one landowner that expressed disappointment in the FAA decision, but then, when the conversation moved to what they thought about the turbine generally, they said they strongly preferred it being built with standard lighting than not being built at all,” said Gebauer.

Since its initial approval in 2022, the project has undergone several changes. Gebauer said the hope is to have the farm operational by the end of the year.