Wind Leasing in Wells County, ND: Flickertail's Terms

Wells County's Article 12 wind ordinance gets tested by a real, active project -- the roughly 43,000-acre Flickertail Wind Farm. Its disclosed payment structure for both participating and non-participating landowners is genuinely useful, specific information for anyone buying land in or near the project footprint.

This page covers what's specific to Wells County. For the general explanation, see the national guide.

Two very different deals: participating land versus non-participating land nearby

PRC Wind and Minnkota Power Cooperative's Flickertail Wind Farm -- a roughly 43,000-acre, two-phase project spanning Wells and Eddy counties, together capable of up to 584 megawatts at peak capacity -- has disclosed two distinct compensation tracks that matter differently depending on which side of a lease line a parcel falls on. Participating landowners, who host turbines, access roads, underground electrical cabling, or other project infrastructure directly on their land, are compensated based on how much of that infrastructure actually sits on the property -- more equipment and acreage committed generally means higher payment, though the project's public materials do not disclose a flat per-acre or per-turbine rate for participants.

Non-participating landowners -- those inside the project's footprint or setback-affected area but without turbines or infrastructure on their own land -- are set to receive a specific, disclosed rate: $5 per acre starting in year one, escalating 2% annually, for 25 years, with a guaranteed minimum payment of $1,000 per year (also escalating 2% annually) even for a small parcel where the flat per-acre rate alone would fall below that floor. If you're evaluating a Wells County parcel near the Flickertail footprint that won't host a turbine but sits close enough to be affected by the project's disclosed development agreement, this is the compensation structure to ask the county or the developer to confirm applies to that specific parcel.

Decommissioning, local benefits, and what to verify before buying

Flickertail Wind's development agreement with the affected counties includes a decommissioning commitment: the developer is required to have a plan and a financial guarantee (a surety bond) in place to fund removal of turbines and related infrastructure at end of life, rather than leaving that cost to the county or a future landowner. The project's local development agreement has also been revised over time -- reported as "enhanced" for local benefit in a mid-2026 update -- and separate reporting describes the project as expected to increase the local tax base for Wells and Eddy counties. None of that is a substitute for reading the actual, current, parcel-specific paperwork.

Before buying land in or adjacent to the Flickertail footprint, a few things are worth confirming directly rather than assuming: whether a specific parcel is classified as participating or non-participating under the current, finalized agreement (this can change as the project's turbine layout is finalized); whether the parcel is subject to Article 12's one-mile turbine setback from a residence, which can constrain future building even on non-participating land; and the current decommissioning bond amount and who it names as beneficiary. The Wells County Planning and Zoning office can confirm a parcel's status against the current permit, and the recorded lease or easement document itself -- available through the Wells County Recorder for anything already filed -- is the authoritative source for actual payment terms on a specific tract.

Wind Energy Leasing in Wells County, North Dakota

Two very different deals: participating land versus non-participating land nearby

Decommissioning, local benefits, and what to verify before buying

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