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Construction underway on South Dakota's largest wind project

Construction underway on South Dakota's largest wind project

Built World

Invenergy's Philip Wind Energy Center, built by Blattner, targets March 2028 operation

October 16th, 2026: ENR reports Blattner as contractor

Overview

Updated Oct 17

Construction is underway in Haakon County on the $750 million Philip Wind Energy Center, set to be South Dakota's largest wind farm. Blattner Energy is building it for Invenergy's Philip Wind Partners, with commercial operation targeted for March 2028.

State regulators describe the project as 333 megawatts, and the Board of Economic Development in October approved up to $6.1 million in sales and use tax rebates. A Nordex supply agreement fixed the build at 55 turbines totaling 324.5 MW, down from the 87 units the permit allows.

Why it matters

At 333 megawatts, it would be South Dakota's largest wind farm, with enough output for about 121,000 homes.

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Key Indicators

$750M
Project cost
Estimated capital cost including leasing, permitting, engineering, financing, and construction.
55
Nordex N163/5.9 MW turbines
Fixed by a 2026 supply agreement at 324.5 MW total; the state permit allows up to 87 turbines, and regulators cite 333 MW.
121,000
Homes powered equivalent
Estimated generating capacity in home-energy terms for the project's full output.
$6.1M
Tax rebate approved
Reinvestment Payment authorized by the Board of Economic Development on Oct. 13, 2026.

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Organizations Involved

PW
Philip Wind Partners, LLC
Renewable energy developer
Developing the Philip Wind Energy Center

The Invenergy affiliate developing the 333-MW Philip Wind Energy Center in Haakon County, South Dakota.
Blattner Energy
Blattner Energy
Balance-of-plant contractor
Building the Philip Wind Energy Center

The Avon, Minnesota contractor handling civil work, foundations, electrical collection, substation, and turbine installation for the project.
Invenergy
Invenergy
Renewable energy developer
Parent company of Philip Wind Partners

Chicago-based renewable developer whose subsidiary, Philip Wind Partners, is building the Philip Wind Energy Center.
NI
Nordex USA, Inc.
Wind turbine manufacturer
Supplying 55 N163/5.9 MW turbines

Turbine supplier for the Philip Wind project, confirmed in a supply agreement reported in August 2026.
SD
South Dakota Public Utilities Commission
State regulator
Approved project permits; receives monthly construction reports

The state agency that permits large energy facilities and transmission lines, and now monitors Philip Wind construction.

Timeline

August 2025 March 2028

11 events Latest: October 16th, 2026 · 4 weeks ago Showing 8 of 11
Tap a bar to jump to that date

  1. Commercial operation target

    Upcoming Milestone

    Projected commercial operations date if turbine installation and balance-of-plant work hold to schedule.

  2. ENR reports Blattner as contractor

    Latest Report

    Engineering News-Record details the $750 million project's scale, jobs, tax revenue, and construction progress.

  3. Board approves $6.1M tax rebate

    Incentive

    South Dakota Board of Economic Development authorizes up to $6,102,702 through the Reinvestment Payment Program.

  4. Foundation prep underway; collection work next

    Construction

    Philip Wind's monthly PUC report says Blattner began rebar, grounding and preparation for turbine foundation concrete pours, with collection cable work and substation grading set to start in October.

  5. Nordex confirmed as turbine supplier

    Update

    Monthly PUC report confirms 55 Nordex N163/5.9 MW turbines totaling 324.5 MW, replacing the earlier plan for up to 87 units.

  6. Turbine T49 position adjustment filed with PUC

    Regulatory

    Philip Wind notified the commission it moved turbine T49 up to 250 feet from its permitted location, using the allowance in Condition 22 of the project order. An affidavit from Alexander Chandler accompanied the filing, which also swapped the Invenergy project manager contact from Brianna Gries to Ryan Bartecki.

  7. Full-scale construction begins

    Construction

    Blattner mobilizes full crews, starting laydown yard, marshalling yard, batch plant, and access roads.

  8. Full construction notice filed

    Construction

    Philip Wind files the full-project construction notice required by permit conditions, ahead of the July construction start.

  9. Blattner begins mud-mat construction

    Construction

    Contractor mobilizes on site, completes silt fencing, excavation, and mud mats at turbine positions 37 and 59.

  10. PUC approves South Dakota's largest wind project

    Regulatory

    The commission votes unanimously to grant energy facility permits for the 333-MW project and its transmission line.

  11. Philip Wind applies for state permits

    Regulatory

    Philip Wind Partners files with the South Dakota PUC for the wind farm and a 230-kV transmission line, starting a nine-month review.

Scenarios

1

Philip Wind enters commercial operation by March 2028

Likely Resolves by Apr 30, 2028

Discussed by: Invenergy's schedule filed with the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission

Blattner's schedule runs turbine installation from June to December 2027 and balance-of-plant completion in January 2028, with commercial operation in March 2028. If winter conditions and turbine deliveries hold, the project meets that target, triggering the landowner and tax payments totaling roughly $145 million over 30 years.

2

Construction delays push completion past March 2028

Possible Resolves by Q2 2028

Discussed by: Clean Energy Skills risk analysis and the project's monthly PUC reports

Winter shutdowns typically pause civil and foundation work in South Dakota. Late turbine deliveries, interconnection work, or substation delays could push the January 2028 balance-of-plant completion later, moving commercial operation into late 2028 or 2029. A slip would delay the start of landowner and tax payments.

3

Turbine configuration changes from the 55 Nordex units

Unlikely Resolves by End of 2027

Discussed by: The project's settlement agreement allowed multiple turbine models; Invenergy selected Nordex in August 2026

The signed supply agreement fixed 55 Nordex N163/5.9 MW machines. Any change would require a permit amendment. The shift from 87 planned turbines to 55 larger ones shows the configuration can still move — though a signed agreement makes another change unlikely.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

2016-2018

Rush Creek Wind Project (2016-2018)

Invenergy built the 600-MW Rush Creek wind farm across about 100,000 acres in eastern Colorado, with roughly 300 turbines, selling output to Xcel Energy under a 20-year agreement. It was one of the largest single-site wind farms in the US at completion.

Then

Construction wrapped in late 2018 largely on schedule, establishing the project as a benchmark for large single-developer wind builds.

Now

The project reinforced Invenergy's model of developing, owning, and operating big wind sites, and helped Colorado push toward its renewable targets.

Why this matters now

Same developer, similar structure, nearly double Philip Wind's 333 MW. Rush Creek shows the track record Invenergy brings to a build of this scale.

2005-2006

Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center (2005-2006)

When completed in 2006, Horse Hollow in west-central Texas was the world's largest wind farm, using 421 GE 1.5-MW turbines for 735 MW of capacity across about 47,000 acres.

Then

The project helped establish Texas as the US wind leader and proved that large-scale wind buildouts could be financed and built.

Now

The GE 1.5-MW turbine became the workhorse of the mid-2000s buildout; today's onshore machines are four to five times larger.

Why this matters now

Philip Wind's 55 Nordex N163/5.9 MW machines deliver 324.5 MW — about half of Horse Hollow's output with an eighth of the turbines. It shows how turbine scaling has cut unit counts and land footprint.

Sources

(12)
+6
Engineering News-Record South Dakota Searchlight South Dakota Public Utilities Commission Clean Energy Skills South Dakota Governor's Office of Economic Development KCCR-AM South Dakota Public Utilities Commission South Dakota Searchlight South Dakota Public Utilities Commission South Dakota Public Utilities Commission South Dakota Public Utilities Commission South Dakota Public Utilities Commission