PSC defends disputed wind farm decision

From a Tom Content post on JSonline:

The state Public Service Commission on Monday issued a statement responding to the legal challenge filed Friday by customer groups objecting to an Alliant Energy Corp. proposed wind farm.

The customer groups charge the commission used a less stringent review process than was required for the 200-megawatt Bent Tree wind farm that Alliant proposes to build. They filed suit in Dane County Circuit Court.

“The commission disagrees with the allegations in the complaint and looks forward to defending itself in circuit court,” the PSC statement says.

Under typical procedures, any energy project that generates at least 100 megawatts of power is reviewed under a permitting process that would grant a utility a “certificate of public convenience and necessity.” Instead, the commission opted for the less-stringent review, a certificate of authority, usually reserved for smaller wind projects.

The customer groups contend that review process should have been used in the Alliant wind project, but the commission argued in its written order that some of the provisions of the more exhaustive review process don’t apply to out-of-state energy projects.