Dairyland Power Cooperative and GridLiance Heartland are planning a 140-mile, double-circuit transmission line between Marion, Minnesota, and Bell Center, Wisconsin. The proposed project includes both a new 765 kilovolt (kV) transmission line and a rebuilt 161 kV line located within the existing transmission corridor
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Dairyland Power Cooperative and GridLiance Heartland are planning a 140-mile, double-circuit transmission line between Marion, Minnesota, and Bell Center, Wisconsin. The project includes a new 765 kV line alongside a rebuilt 161 kV line within the current corridor that would improve grid reliability, meet rising energy demand, expand access to energy resources, and support regional economic growth.
This map shows the area where landowners are likely to be affected. This area will be studied during the route development process. We will communicate with landowners and local officials in these areas as the process moves forward.
The Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) conducted a 2-year, regional planning process, with extensive input from utilities and stakeholders, to identify a portfolio of 24 transmission projects to enhance the reliability of the electric grid, improve access to remote energy resources and deliver reliable power to homes, farms, and businesses throughout the Midwest region.
Learn what to expect and how we collaborate with
landowners.
MISO is the electric grid operator and regional transmission planner for the central United States. MISO is a non-profit organization that works to keep electricity reliable across 15 states and the Canadian province of Manitoba.
The partnership between Dairyland and GridLiance Heartland brings together Dairyland’s local experience and community connections with GridLiance’s expertise in building and managing large energy projects to strengthen the region’s power reliability.
Headquartered in La Crosse, Wis., Dairyland provides wholesale electrical requirements to 24 distribution cooperatives and 27 municipal utilities. These cooperatives and municipals, in turn, supply the energy needs of approximately 750,000 people in four states (Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois).
GridLiance Heartland, LLC is a subsidiary of NextEra Energy Transmission, a leading competitive transmission company that develops, finances, constructs, operates and maintains transmission assets across North America. The company’s subsidiaries have approximately 3,100 circuit miles of high-voltage transmission assets in operation and development in 18 states and Canada. GridLiance Heartland collaborates with rural electric cooperatives and municipal utilities in America’s heartland to invest in electric infrastructure and improve the reliability of regional grids.
In December 2024, the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), identified and approved a portfolio of transmission projects throughout the Upper Midwest that are needed to enable the grid of future – boosting reliability, unlocking access to low-cost energy resources and meeting growing energy demand. The MariBell Transmission Project is among the projects included in the plan.
The electric grid must evolve as our region transforms how it generates and uses electricity. As older power plants retire and new sources of electrical generation are developed, the MariBell Transmition Project will help deliver reliable electricity for customers as these changes occur.
Our current system delivers 99% reliability as a direct result of the infrastructure built and operated over many decades. We are now developing the next phase of transmission investments that will maintain that high reliability into the future.
Upgrading our transmission system supports electric reliability, fosters economic growth, and ensures customers have access to reliable electricity wherever and whenever it's needed.
New energy infrastructure takes years to plan, review, design, permit and construct, and public involvement is critical to this proposal. The time to begin developing these projects is now, so our region will be ready for the challenges and opportunities we will face in the coming years.
Approximately $314 million in capital investment
Approximately $70 million in economic impact from construction and operations
Approximately 600 construction jobs across the project area
Building major transmission lines is a multi-year process that starts with careful planning. Throughout this process, there are many opportunities for public engagement, including meetings, open houses, and formal input during the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSCW) process.
Public/Landowner Outreach and Permitting
Construction
In Service
*As our schedule evolves, we will provide updated information.
We are at the beginning of a multi-year process that requires routing studies and approval by the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin.
A Certificate or Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) must be obtained from the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSCW) before a high-voltage transmission line can be built.
The PSCW will hold public meetings during which the public can comment on the proposed facilities.
During the PSCW permitting process, the public can submit comments by attending and speaking at public hearings, submitting written comments via email or postal mail or by using the PSCW’s Electronic Regulatory Filing (ERF) system.
We anticipate filing the CPCN application with the PSCW in 2026, with a final decision from the PSCW approximately 12 months after the filing of the application.
765 kilovolt (kV) technology was identified in the MISO planning process as the preferred solution for the region, presenting several advantages:
One 765 kV transmission line can carry as much power as six 345 kV single circuit lines — minimizing the landed needed by as much as 70-80%.
Electricity is generated from fossil fuel-fired (e.g., coal, natural gas, oil), nuclear, wind, solar, hydro and storage generators
Voltage is increased to push the power over long distances
High voltage electricity is moved over long distances through transmission lines
High voltage electricity is lowered for use on the local distribution system
Substations lower the voltage further for local use
Low voltage electricity is carried to homes and businesses
Voltage is reduced to the level that people use in their homes for electronics, appliances and lighting
Electricity flows to a meter, to a service panel, and then to an outlet inside your home, farm or business
Our typical transmission line construction process includes the following steps:
Soil surveys and property staking
Construction access and vegetation clearing
Mobilizing equipment and delivering material
Foundation construction
Installing structures and stringing conductor
Land restoration
We currently expect construction to start in 2031 with the
project in-service in 2034.
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