Montana-Dakota Utilities, Otter Tail Power to jointly develop 95-mile North Dakota transmission line
A new regional transmission project is coming to North Dakota, as Montana-Dakota Utilities Co. and Otter Tail Power Co. joined forces last week on the announcement of the upcoming Jamestown-Ellendale 345 kV transmission line across North Dakota.
In all, the transmission line will span 95 miles, building up resilience for the region’s transmission grid. When finished, it will connect the Otter Tail Jamestown substation to Montana-Dakota’s Ellendale substation – an effort estimated to cost approximately $439 million, according to the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO).
“This project, along with the other phase one LRTP projects, will help ensure a reliable, resilient, and cost-effective transmission system, benefiting not only our region and customers but also surrounding regions and customers—all while ensuring we continue to provide affordable electricity,” Tim Rogelstad, Otter Tail president, said. “We’ve worked with Montana-Dakota in the past, coordinating the successful completion of the Big Stone South to Ellendale 345-kV transmission project, and we look forward to collaborating with them on yet another significant project.”
With the project’s announcement last week, efforts to develop, collaborate with landowners, and request permission from regulatory bodies officially commenced. Otter Tail will lead development and construction, but the resulting line will be co-owned by the two companies. The project represents one of 18 recently approved by MISO as part of the first phase of its Long-Range Transmission Planning (LRTP) initiative.
“This project will bolster connections between existing 345-kV systems in the state and relieve excessive loading on the 230-kV system, which will help increase the movement of electric energy out of North Dakota and South Dakota, reduce congestion, improve fuel savings, and maintain the reliability of the transmission system in the future,” Montana-Dakota President and CEO Nicole Kivisto said. “We look forward to working with Otter Tail Power on another important piece of infrastructure for the region.”
The joint transmission line is expected to be in service by late 2028.
