PIERRE –The opposing sides have decided to end their dispute over which utility should supply electricity to Dakota Plains Ag Supply grain terminal and railroad loading facility planned at Napa Junction in Yankton County.The project site overlaps the electricity service territories of both NorthWestern Energy and Bon Homme Yankton Electric Association.
Dakota Plains wanted to contract exclusively with NorthWestern Energy.
Bon Homme Yankton Electric, the rural electric cooperative for the area, objected.
Dakota Plains needed permission from the state Public Utilities Commission for the NorthWestern contract.
The commission planned to hold a hearing but the business, the two utilities and the South Dakota Rural Electric Association recently agreed to end the dispute. Instead, the two utilities will supply electricity to the portions of the project within each of their service territories, Brett Koenecke, a Pierre lawyer representing Dakota Plains, confirmed Wednesday.
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The commission is scheduled to decide Tuesday whether to dismiss the matter and close the two dockets.
NorthWestern recently was allowed to be the supplier of electricity for the Dakota Access oil pipeline’s pump station in Spink County, despite the site being in the rural service territory of Northern Electric cooperative.
