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Minneapolis (AP)

New coal-fired power plant gets preliminary approval

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The utilities planning to build a coal-fired power plant in eastern South Dakota say the project has passed its final regulatory hurdle.

Big Stone II's project manager announced Monday that the Department of Energy's Western Area Power Administration approved the project's Environmental Impact Statement earlier this month. It was the last step in the permitting phase for the power plant.

The EIS allows the plant to interconnect with substations in western Minnesota.

Five utilities serving customers in Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota, Iowa and Montana hope to build Big Stone II near Milbank, S.D.

The utilities will decide this fall whether to move forward with the plan. If they do, the project would cost about $1.6 billion with construction starting late next year.