A large wind farm that's being built in Brookings County, South Dakota, and Lincoln County, Minnesota, must be operating by the end of next year so it can qualify for federal tax credits.

The 150-megawatt project will be capable of powering 45,000 homes. It's a joint effort of PPM Energy of Oregon and Excel Energy of Minnesota.

Two-thirds of the electricity for the Minn-Dakota Wind Power Project will be used in Minnesota and one-third in South Dakota.

Officials hope to get the foundations finished this fall for the wind turbines. The blades and towers will be delivered and erected next spring.

Xcel Energy is ranked first in the nation for its Windpower portfolio, and the firm plans to double its Windpower production by the end of next year.