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23 May 2023
By
Jason
Harward
Energy companies abandon proposed South Dakota pumped
storage project in Gregory County
“Right now, I’m in shock, and I can’t believe it.
I guess I’ve always been kind of a pessimist and prepared for the worst,”
a local landowner said.
A mock-up of the proposed pumped storage reservoir,
which would sit on a bluff approximately 700 feet above Lake Francis
Case in Gregory County. The companies behind the project announced
they were no longer pursuing it on May 23, 2022.
Courtesy Missouri River Energy Services
BURKE, S.D. — A controversial energy megaproject proposed in
central South Dakota is no longer, according to a joint statement from
Missouri River Energy Services and MidAmerican Energy.
“While pumped storage technology is proven and the need for
energy storage solutions is essential for regional reliability,
MidAmerican and MRES have decided not to pursue the project at this
time,” the statement reads. “MidAmerican and MRES made this decision
based on the same due diligence we employ in every project we do. We
will continue to evaluate all options — including pumped storage — for
reliable, affordable, and resilient energy resources to serve the
residents and businesses that rely on us.”
The proposed pumped storage project, set to leave a footprint
in Gregory and Charles Mix counties, was sold as a tax boon for local
counties and schools and an important way to keep the energy grid
stable as energy generation continues to change.
It would have used an upper reservoir and the Missouri River
below to store renewable energy as potential hydropower in a sort of
water battery, pushing the river water uphill when solar and wind are
plentiful and letting the water downhill at times of higher demand.
The project was on the cusp of the study phase of federal
permitting and would not have come into commission until the
mid-2030s.
Tim Blodgett, the vice president of communications with
Missouri River Energy Services, said it was the financial risk of such
a large-dollar investment, rather than landowner opposition, that led
to the company re-thinking its investment.
"The market for long-duration storage is too immature at this
point to put a finger on what the value of that is in the 2030s," he
said. "We believe it is still needed from a reliability standpoint,
but the risk with the financial investment was really what made that
decision."
Citizens Against Missouri River Pumped Storage Project, a group
of area landowners opposed to the project, said that no matter the
reason for the change of course, "we trust that public participation
in the project has led to a better outcome for our communities and our
river."
Landowners around the area banded together to oppose the project,
referencing concerns over water quality, recreation and property
rights, among other issues
“Right now, I’m in shock, and I can’t believe it. I guess I’ve
always been kind of a pessimist and prepared for the worst,” said Doug
Tieszen, a local landowner whose farm would have come underwater in
the proposed project. “All I can say is I’ve just been so amazed at
the groundswell of local support.”
Blodgett said the company would not be pursuing a pumped
storage project at that specific site, but would potentially look into
the technology elsewhere.
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