MAY 23, 2023:
MidAmerican Energy and Missouri River Energy Services have pulled the plug on their proposed Gregory County Pumped Storage Project.
In a news release today (May 23, 2023), the two companies said, “While pumped storage technology is proven and the need for energy storage solutions is essential for regional reliability, the companies have decided not to pursue the project at this time.” They went on to say, “MidAmerican and MRES made this decision based on the same due diligence we employ in every project we do.”
MidAmerican and MRES teamed up to explore the GCPSP as a way to store the clean energy that is already being generated from MidAmerican’s wind fleet and to supply additional energy to the grid when demand is high. They say they will continue to evaluate all options – including pumped storage — for reliable, affordable and resilient energy resources to serve the customers that rely on them for electricity.
The proposed project would have been constructed along the Missouri River on the western side of Lake Francis Case in Gregory County. The intent of the project was to produce and distribute up to 2,100 megawatts of electricity using a process to pump water from the Missouri River into a new reservoir where it would be stored and released into a newly constructed power production facility and transmitted when the electricity was needed.
NOVEMBER 8, 2022:
The South Dakota Public Utilities Commission has determined that under current state law, the proposed Gregory County Pumped Storage Project is not required to get a permit from the PUC for facilities within the boundary of the proposed project.
The project– a partnership between Missouri River Energy Services and MidAmerican Energy Company– is proposed to be constructed along the Missouri River on the western side of Lake Francis Case in Gregory County. Transmission facilities are proposed for Charles Mix County. The intent of the project is to produce and distribute up to 2,100 megawatts of electricity using a process to pump water from the Missouri River into a new reservoir where it would be stored and released into a newly constructed power production facility and transmitted when the electricity is needed.
Current South Dakota law requires a PUC siting permit prior to constructing many different types of energy-related facilities. Federal law establishes federal permitting jurisdiction, which supersedes state jurisdiction, for hydroelectric projects on navigable waters of the United States. The scope of federal permitting jurisdiction includes the physical structures and associated facilities within the footprint of the proposed Gregory County Pumped Storage Project.
The Western Minnesota Municipal Power Agency has submitted a notice of intent to file license application for the Gregory County Pumped Storage Project with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). The notice and other filings can be accessed on the FERC website at elibrary.ferc.gov and searching for Docket P-14876-002.
AUGUST 31, 2022:
Missouri River Energy Services is taking the lead in developing the nearly $1 billion Gregory County Pumped Storage project about five miles south of the Platte-Winner bridge. The proposed plan would pump water uphill from the Missouri River during low power demand times, storing it in a reservoir on the west side of the river, then releasing it through turbines when electricity demand increases.
Joni Livingston with Missouri River Energy Services of Sioux Falls says they have filed their first applications.
Livingston says they have held some meetings in the area.
Even though the Gregory County Pumped Storage project is still in the early development stages, Lee Qualm of Platte says opposition to it is growing.
Qualm says the project is being sold as green energy.
Livingston says they are still in the initial design stages of the reservoir.
Qualm says there are problems with the proposal.
The developers have said with needed studies and permits, it may be 2035 before the project goes into operation. Mid American energy is a partner in the project.
(Story courtesy of news partner WNAX.)
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