South Dakota
One of world’s largest energy storage plants launches in South Dakota
This small city in rural northeastern South Dakota has established itself as an energy hub for the entire Great Plains region, and that reputation has received a big boost by landing what will be among the world’s largest energy storage projects.
In a groundbreaking project, South Dakota-based POET has partnered with Antora Energy of California to launch a thermal energy storage system adjacent to POET’s ethanol plant in Big Stone City.
The 5 gigawatt-hour thermal energy storage facility will absorb excess, low-cost energy from wind turbines that might otherwise be lost due to capacity limits on the existing power grid and store it in carbon blocks for use when needed.
Officials said the new technology will be a major economic and environmental boost to South Dakota while also pioneering the use of a new energy technology for potential use across the country and the world.
Developers cite potential benefits
Leaders of the two companies told News Watch in exclusive interviews that the storage facility – the first to be put in commercial production by Antora – will generate several benefits now and well into the future for South Dakota, including:
1. The facility will improve efficiency and increase outputs at POET’s ethanol plant in Big Stone City by providing a reliable source of sustainable energy both during times of peak and non-peak power demand, ultimately reducing consumer costs for ethanol at the gas pump.
2. It will increase production opportunities for South Dakota corn growers, who will see expanded markets for their grains to be converted into ethanol.
3. It will reduce reliance on fossil fuels by enabling greater storage of energy generated by wind, solar or other sustainable sources.
4. Construction and development of the plant has supported 300 new construction jobs in South Dakota and California and will generate new full-time employment in the Big Stone City area.
“They’re taking excess wind energy that doesn’t have a home on the grid and otherwise would be wasted, and they’re capturing that,” said Jeff Lautt, president and chief operating officer of POET in Sioux Falls, the world’s largest producer of ethanol.
“Nobody’s got a switch for the wind, so it blows when it wants to blow, yet there’s a steady demand for power that has to be met, and this system will provide for that.”
Andrew Ponec, chief executive officer of Antora Energy, was unwilling to share the total cost of the project. But a press release on the storage project noted that Antora has “catalyzed hundreds of millions in private investment in the company.”
Ponec said the majority of costs for the Big Stone project were paid through private financing, led by Grok Ventures of Australia, and not the U.S. government. He added, however, that thermal storage has received strong bipartisan support, including in the Big Beautiful Bill passed by Congress in 2025.
A May 19 press release on the project from POET and Antora included statements of support from U.S. Sens. John Thune and Mike Rounds, U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson and South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden.
“America’s need for energy is continuing to rise year after year, (so) the more of that energy we can take right here at home, the better,” Rounds said in the release. ”(This) project in Big Stone City will have a real economic impact in South Dakota while also creating jobs and boosting our domestic energy production.”
A regional power hub set in a small town
Big Stone City was selected as the site for Antora’s first large-scale thermal energy storage system because of the existing POET biofuels plant and the Otter Trail Power Co. plant on the site, and due to the city’s location as a major hub on the regional Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) power grid system, Ponec said.
“We’re an energy technology company, so we’re going to go to wherever there are big concentrations of energy users,” he said.
Thermal energy storage collects low-cost, off-peak energy from virtually any source – local wind turbines in this case – and stores it as heat in insulated blocks of solid carbon that reach 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit. The heat, which can be stored until needed, is then transferred into an oil that allows it to be carried to industrial users, in this instance the POET plant next door.
There, the heat is transferred to steam that powers boilers, distillers and other machinery used in production of ethanol and a host of other byproducts generated at the POET plant. The Big Stone plant produces 92 million gallons of ethanol annually, Lautt said.
Ponec likened the thermal storage process – which consists of dozens of large white metal boxes on the ground – to the operations of a giant toaster. Electricity from the outlet (energy from wind towers) is transferred to the toaster heating coils (the carbon blocks), which then generates heat to brown the bread (run machinery in the ethanol plant.)
The project uses very little water and does not create any substantial emissions, Ponec said.
To illustrate the nimble nature of thermal storage, Ponec noted that the Big Stone facility was built in less than a year. The facility is already providing power to POET’s plant and should be fully online in October.
Another type of energy storage for South Dakota
Thermal energy storage is similar to lithium ion energy storage in that both concepts seek to capture power that can be held until demand goes up and may exceed supply, thereby stabilizing the power grid and reducing costs for consumers.
But while lithium batteries store actual electricity and only for a few hours, thermal storage holds the energy as heat and can hold it for much longer periods, Ponec said.
South Dakota might soon be home to a pair of lithium battery projects, including in Codington and Brookings counties, which backers said will create new opportunities for wind and solar production in the state.
Antora makes money on the project by selling its energy to POET while opening the door to greater sustainable electricity production in the region and lowering power costs for the ethanol plant, Lautt said.
“It creates more efficiency for us, so we’re then using less natural gas to operate the facility, which makes us greener,” he said. “It really creates a win-win-win all across the footprint.”
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This story was originally published by South Dakota News Watch and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.
DAY COUNTY, SD — A Rochester, Minnesota man died Wednesday in a vehicle and pedestrian crash near Pierpont.
A driver hit a pedestrian at the scene of a deer and vehicle collision at approximately 10:43 p.m., Wednesday, July 15, at 130th Street and 412th Avenue, seven miles west of Pierpont.
Earlier that evening, Timothy Allen Smith, a 51-year old male from Rochester, Minnesota and Kimberly McDeid, a 53-year-old female from Bath, were driving westbound on 130th Street in a 2026 Kia when they struck a deer, according to preliminary reports.
Smith and McDeid returned to the scene in a second vehicle, a 1998 Honda CR-V, and parked in the westbound lane facing east. They exited the Honda, leaving the headlights on.
At the same time, Simon Lee Pies, a 21-year-old male from Summit, was driving westbound in a 2021 International MV607 commercial truck with a passenger, Rylie Marie Mitchell, a 19-year-old female from Summit.
Pies approached the parked Honda on 130th Street. Pies tried to avoid the vehicle and struck Smith, who was standing in the road, before striking the Honda.
Smith sustained fatal injuries. McDeid, Pies and passenger Rylie Marie Mitchell were not injured. Pies and Mitchell were wearing seatbelts
The crash is under investigation by the South Dakota Department of Public Safety.
Our newsroom occasionally reports stories under a byline of “staff.” Often, the “staff” byline is used when rewriting basic news briefs that originate from official sources, such as a city press release about a road closure, and which require little or no reporting. At times, this byline is used when a news story includes numerous authors or when the story is formed by aggregating previously reported news from various sources. If outside sources are used, it is noted within the story.
RAPID CITY — The playoff path for South Dakota American Legion Class A postseason baseball is now set.
The seven best-of-three series to qualify for the state tournament were announced on Saturday, with No. 1 seeded Rapid City Post 22 receiving a bye as the state tournament host. The Hardhats have the state’s best record at 41-11 overall and 12-2 against Class A teams. The postseason field was seeded based on Class A teams’ records against other Class A opponents only, following the standard seed-point formula used in South Dakota High School Activities Association sports.
That leaves No. 2 Sioux Falls West as the top-seeded team in action starting Wednesday, July 22, when Game 1 of each series will be played, followed by Game 2 and the if-necessary Game 3 on Thursday, July 23. Sioux Falls West will host 15th-seeded Huron in its playoff series.
The other top series include No. 3 Yankton hosting No. 14 Aberdeen, No. 4 Brandon Valley hosting No. 13 Spearfish, No. 5 Brookings welcoming No. 12 Sioux Falls East and No. 6 Rapid City Post 320 hosting No. 11 Palace City (Mitchell) Post 18.
Two other first-round series include No. 10 Watertown heading to No. 7 Pierre, and No. 9 Renner Post 307 traveling to No. 8 Harrisburg. Harrisburg is the reigning Class A state champion, topping Yankton, and also won the state title in 2023. Renner was the 2024 champion after defeating Brookings, which has played in two of the last three championship games, as well.
In 2025, seven of the eight first-round hosts advanced, with the only upset coming from No. 11 Rapid City Post 320 over No. 6 Sioux Falls East.
The double-elimination Class A state tournament will begin at Fitzgerald Stadium in Rapid City on Tuesday, July 28 and run through Saturday, Aug. 1. The state bracket will be re-seeded 1-through-8 based on the winners from the first-round series.
South Dakota Class A Senior Legion playoffs
First round — Best-of-three series — July 22-23
Format: Game 1 on July 22, with Game 2 and Game 3 (if necessary) on July 23. July 24 will be a rain date. Times will be added when available.
Teams listed with overall record and Class A SD record
No. 1 Rapid City Post 22 (41-11, 12-2 SD) is the state tournament host and has a bye through the first round.
No. 15 Huron Post 7 (4-25, 1-20 SD) at No. 2 Sioux Falls West Post 15 (31-12-1, 18-7 SD)
No. 14 Aberdeen Post 24 (12-22, 6-17 SD) at No. 3 Yankton Post 12 (21-11, 15-6 SD)
No. 13 Spearfish Post 164 (13-21, 3-17 SD) at No. 4 Brandon Valley Post 131 (20-14, 13-6 SD)
No. 12 Sioux Falls East Post 15 (15-26, 9-16 at No. 5 Brookings Post 74 (16-17, 13-7 SD)
No. 11 Palace City (Mitchell) Post 18 (20-22, 11-14 SD) at No. 6 Rapid City Post 320 (32-13-3, 12-7 SD)
No. 10 Watertown Post 17 (34-23, 12-12 SD) at No. 7 Pierre Post 8 (16-17-1, 15-10 SD)
No. 9 Renner Post 307 (19-25, 14-15 SD) at No. 8 Harrisburg Post 45 (14-24, 10-8 SD)
Marcus Traxler is the assistant editor and sports editor for the Mitchell Republic. A past winner of the state’s Outstanding Young Journalist award and the 2023 South Dakota Sportswriter of the Year, he’s worked for the newspaper since 2014 and covers a wide variety of topics. A Minnesota native, Traxler can be reached at mtraxler@mitchellrepublic.com.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — South Dakotans are reacting to the death of prominent philanthropist T. Denny Sanford, who died Saturday at the age of 90.
Known also as T. Denny, Sanford was a self-made billionaire who earned his wealth in the banking and subprime credit card industry, with Sioux Falls based First PREMIER Bank and PREMIER Bankcard. He’s been South Dakota’s wealthiest person for years and also took the “Giving Pledge” with other famous billionaires, such as Bill Gates and Warren Buffet, that he would “die broke.”
“For many years, Mr. Sanford was a champion of our zoo, along with the San Diego Zoo & Safari Park – leading to a one-of-a-kind reciprocity program between our institutions. Mr. Sanford’s generous $25 million donation made it possible for SFZA’s big idea – our merger and pursuit of a one campus land, sea, sky attraction – to begin taking shape. SFZA will be forever grateful for his tremendous support, but we wish he was able to see it all come to fruition.” a post from the Great Plains Zoo said.
“It is with great sadness that Sandy and I mourn the loss of T. Denny – a man who has so generously and intentionally invested in the great state of South Dakota,” Republican Gov. Larry Rhoden said in a news release. “His contributions will not be forgotten, and South Dakota will forever be impacted by his legacy. Put simply, he was the greatest philanthropist in South Dakota history.”
“Denny Sanford was a significant donor to practically every charitable campaign in Sioux Falls, and many others throughout the state. Beyond his high-profile gifts, Denny was a key reason that Sioux Falls has such a strong culture of philanthropy, and many important community improvements benefited from his support,” Lt. Governor Tony Venhuizen wrote on Facebook.
“His generosity and commitment to improving health care have left a lasting impact on South Dakota. His contributions helped expand access to care, advance medical research, and strengthen health services for communities across our state,” the South Dakota Department of Health said on Facebook.
A statement from Sioux Falls Mayor Christine Erickson said “Our community would not be what it is today without T. Denny Sanford’s incredible generosity. Denny’s impact can be seen and felt across the city – from elevated healthcare, to investments in kids and families, to most recently supporting the historic relocation of Smithfield Foods from downtown. His philanthropic spirit encouraged so many others to give, sparking momentum that turned ambitious ideas into real, lasting improvements. He will be deeply missed, and the culture of generosity he helped build will continue to shape generations to come.”
A news release Saturday morning announced Sanford’s passing. Prominent South Dakotans are sharing their reactions and words about the businessman.
“Denny changed the landscape of giving. He could have done many things with his money, yet he reinvested it in South Dakota. Our universities are stronger today because of Denny. Our health care is stronger today because of Denny. He believed in working harder to help someone other than yourself,” Miles Beacom, the CEO of PREMIER Bankcard, said in a news release.
“Denny’s passion for helping people and inspiring others to do the same is unmatched. From the first day I met him, I understood how important that was to him. He often said many people live a life of success, but you should try to live a life of significance where you can make an impact on people,” said Dana Dykhouse the CEO of First PREMIER Bank.
“We are forever blessed that Denny chose us and our communities to make the transformational gifts that will change lives for generations. He was a driving force in modern medicine, empowering researchers and clinicians to think big and pursue bold, innovative endeavors at a pace not otherwise possible. We are able to provide care for more patients in their time of need because of his generosity,” Bill Gassen, President and CEO, Sanford Health said in a news release.
A joint statement from First PREMIER Bank and PREMIER Bankcard & Sanford Health said “We are saddened to announce the passing of T. Denny Sanford. He was 90 years old. Denny always said he wanted to live a life of significance and gave generously. His philanthropy impacted millions of lives and transformed the landscape of South Dakota and beyond.”
“During my years as mayor, I had the privilege of witnessing firsthand the extraordinary impact of T. Denny Sanford’s generosity. His love for South Dakota was evident in the countless lives he changed and the bold visions he helped bring to life. His legacy will endure for generations,” Former Sioux Falls mayor Paul TenHaken said in a post on X.
“Denny Sanford’s generosity will leave a lasting legacy on Sioux Falls,” said Andy Patterson, CEO of the Community Foundation on social media. “He modeled philanthropy in a way that brought others along with him – a kind of giving that begets more giving, which has shaped our community in ways that will matter for generations. We offer our deepest gratitude for his thoughtfulness and our condolences to his family and friends.”
“”I’m sorry to hear about the passing of Denny Sanford. His philanthropy touched countless lives through investments in healthcare, education, and children’s well-being, leaving a lasting impact on communities across our state and beyond. My thoughts are with his family, friends, and all those whose lives were shaped by his generosity. May they find comfort in the many lives he helped improve and the legacy he leaves behind,” Dan Ahlers, Democrat candidate for governor said in a statement.
“Saddened to hear of the passing of Denny Sanford. Denny was a giant in South Dakota who was constantly working to make our state a better place through philanthropy. Specifically, he gave his money to causes that will help the next generation of South Dakotans prosper, including health care, science and education.” U.S. Senator Mike Rounds said in a post on X.
The University of Sioux Falls issued a statement, saying: “At our university, the impact of Mr. Sanford’s gifts stretch from the Sanford School of Medicine to the Knudson School of Law and from the National Music Museum to the future Gassen Family Fieldhouse. He opened doors for students through scholarship support and maintained a firm belief in the transformational power of education.”
You can read the full obituary below.
This is a developing story.
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