Black Hills Gets OK for $100M Southern Colorado Wind Farm

PUEBLO, Colo. (AP) — Black Hills Energy has won permission to build a $100 million wind farm complex in southern Colorado under a deal which should keep customers in Pueblo from having to pay for the project for a decade.

The Colorado Public Utilities Commission approved the project in Huerfano and Las Animas counties on Wednesday after initially finding in April that the project was too expensive.

Since then, The Pueblo Chieftain reports that the contractor lowered its construction cost. Rapid City, South Dakota-based Black Hills also reached a preliminary agreement with state and local officials that essentially guarantees that ratepayers won't pay for the project in its first 10 years.

Black Hills says the farm will be used when it's cheaper to use wind-generated power than electricity from natural gas.

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