Supposedly rated for 160mph winds, collapsed in 120mph gusts…
All that is left is an expensive pile of garbage that cannot be recycled.
SO GREEN!
The Affected Wind Farm
The damaged facility is the South Dakota Wind Energy Center (also known as the Highmore Wind Energy Project or Highmore Wind Farm), located approximately 10 miles south of Highmore.
Number of turbines: 27
Turbine model: GE Vernova 1.5s (1.5 MW each)
Total…— STUART TURLEY – Energy Podcast Host (@STUARTTURLEY16) June 29, 2026
Extreme macroburst winds hit 131 mph near Highmore on June 29 morning.
Older GE 1.5 MW turbines not built for that level of sustained extreme straight-line gusts.
Drone and ground photos show multiple towers folded or collapsed.
Blades and composites are hard/expensive to recycle — often landfilled.
Farm is small/old (40.5 MW total, first major one in SD).
Agweek report on 131 mph winds and Highmore damage: https://www.agweek.com/weather/131-mile-per-hour-winds-rip-through-highmore-south-dakota-monday-morning
Energy News Beat details on the affected South Dakota Wind Energy Center: https://energynewsbeat.co/wind/wind-farm-near-highmore-south-dakota-has-critical-damage-highmore-sd/
h/y Flying Elvii