WESSINGTON SPRINGS - Construction of 34 wind turbines near Wessington Springs could start in March or April, Mayor Jim Burg says.

Heartland Consumers Power District has partnered with the Australian firm that's buying NorthWestern Corp. and has agreed to purchase electricity produced by the wind farm's turbines, which will spread over about 3,000 acres just south of Wessington Springs.

The turbines will produce 51 megawatts of power. And Burg said he hopes an agreement can be reached that would lead to more.

"Their whole project is hoped to be 99 megawatts," he said. "They're already working on trying to find a market to sell the other 48 megawatts and 32 turbines."

Some of the power will end up in area communities such as Plankinton, Howard and Groton, said Burg. "The fact that this power is going to be used within the area satisfies a lot of the transmission problems that you always hear (about)," he said.

Wessington Springs might get some of the power but there's no way to know, the mayor said. "It's like pouring four glasses of water in a bucket and trying to pick out one glass. This goes into the system, mingles with all the rest of the power and will be distributed to all of Heartland's customers."

Babcock and Brown Inc., the Australian company involved in the wind project, was forced to abandon one of its potential wind turbine sites elsewhere after running into problems with artifacts. And a cell phone tower was put on hold when artifacts were found near Wessington Springs.

But Burg doesn't expect similar problems with the wind project.

"I think they've examined it to the point that they know where they're at with it," he said. "They aren't going to tell you if they found artifacts or tell you what they found but I think that we're going to be able to deal with it."