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Developer outlines 400–500 MW 'Northwoods' wind project for Morrison County
Summary
Swift Current Energy presented plans for a potential 400–500 MW wind project in eastern Morrison County, saying the company has secured more than 100 leases (about 25,000 acres) and is tracking a transmission upgrade that would enable construction around 2030.
Joey Shannon, Senior Director of Development for Swift Current Energy, told the Morrison County Board of Commissioners on July 28 that his firm is prospecting a large utility‑scale wind project in the county’s eastern tier. “This project in particular is a potentially 400 to 500 megawatt project,” Shannon said, and described the company’s outreach and permitting timeline.
Shannon said Swift Current has signed “over 100 different folks” to leases representing approximately 25,000 acres in the initial area of interest and is coordinating siting work to follow a planned Northland Reliability Project transmission upgrade. He described a typical development timeline—field wind studies from MET towers, environmental surveys, a PUC siting review for projects over 25 MW, and later turbine procurement and financing—and said a realistic construction target would follow the transmission upgrade around 2030 if studies and interconnection costs make the project feasible.
The presentation outlined local economic effects Swift Current expects: Shannon cited Minnesota’s production‑tax framework and estimated that a 400 MW project “generates over $1,500,000” in annual production tax revenue to be split between county (80%) and townships (20%). He also described short‑term construction employment and a smaller number of long‑term operations positions that he said would likely be local hires.
Commissioners asked technical and policy questions during a multi‑segment Q&A. On data collection, Shannon said existing desktop wind maps show an uptick in wind resource in the eastern county but emphasized the need for MET‑tower measurements to confirm results. He also outlined federal and regional reviews that can affect timelines—FAA and Department of Defense airspace determinations, U.S. Fish & Wildlife and Army Corps reviews for environmental or water crossings, and the MISO interconnection study process. Shannon said Swift Current’s equity backer IFM Investors would provide project equity and that typical bank financing and independent engineering reviews would be part of closing.
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