The Big Stone II power plant project is sitting idle after the main utility company involved pulled out.

Otter Tail Power company has left the $1.6 billion dollar project and now it’s in limbo.

The coal-fired plant, which would sit near Big Stone City, South Dakota, would have to produce between 500 and 600 megawatts of power to comply with the permits it's already received.

"Right now, we only have 350 megawatts or so spoken for, and so in order to keep our permits, we would have to attract another utility or utilities that would commit to a couple of hundred megawatts," Dan Sharp said.

Sharp is the communications manager for Big Stone II project. He says they're already talking with two utilities about joining the project and should know within a month or two whether they're in or out. It's possible other utilities could jump on board too.

"This is a fully permitted project; we have all of the permits we need," Sharp said. "We think that would be attractive to a utility."

Right now, Big Stone II has four utility partners. At one time, that was seven. If they don't get others on board, Sharp says plans for the project will end. And big hang-ups with permits now that Otter Tail is out could put an end to it all too.

"One of the permits we have, for example, now lasted four years. The process was four years; another one was three and a half years. We won't do that again," Sharp said.

A big reason Otter Tail Power Company pulled out of the project was economic but the current economy could help the project as well.

"Because with the economic downturn we've had in the country, there are some commodity prices for things we would need to construct a power plant that are, that are relatively reasonable now," Sharp said.

The original plans had the plant up and running near Big Stone City by 2011. But if this one breaks ground and the best case scenario plays out, now it wouldn't be on line until 2015 or 2016.

The Big Stone II power plant would provide electricity to thousands of people in a five state area including South Dakota.