The fate of a proposed regional power line could be decided today.
The North Dakota Public Service Commission will debate the merits of the high-voltage JETx Transmission Line at 10:00 a.m. during their scheduled meeting.
The Otter Tail Power and Montana-Dakota Utilities project would run about 92 miles from the Jamestown substation to the Ellendale substation, crossing Stutsman, LaMoure and Dickey counties. The345 kilovolt line’s cost has been estimated at about $406 million.
The companies say the line would improve reliability, pointing to a 2023 ice storm that knocked out both high voltage transmission lines serving Jamestown, causing outages and forcing major customers to cut back on consumption.
While the project has drawn support from city and county leaders, the proposal has drawn pushback from landowners and townships in line’s path. Those people are objecting to changes that would be required to farmlands and roads along with special easements and eminent domain actions. Several townships denied local permits or passed moratoriums. Feedback from citizens in the zoning area has been mostly negative during public comment periods.
Commissioners today could grant the corridor certificate and route permit. A proposed order would also preempt local zoning actions that block the project.
If approved, the line still would need remaining permits before construction, with service targeted for late 2028.
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