Two major Upper Midwest energy providers just took a concrete step toward building a 765 kilovolt backbone transmission line designed to shore up regional grid reliability and accommodate growing electricity demand across eastern Minnesota.
Dairyland Power Cooperative and Xcel Energy filed an application for a route permit with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission for the Gopher to Badger Link Project. The formal filing, submitted this week, marks a milestone in a regulatory process that kicked off when the utilities filed a Certificate of Need application in February 2026.
Mapping the Route From Pine Island to the Mississippi River
Planning for the infrastructure undertaking began in 2025, with project teams holding outreach sessions alongside landowners, local government officials, community leaders, and state agencies to refine preliminary route ideas. Those discussions directly shaped the primary route proposal.
The transmission line begins at the North Rochester Substation near Pine Island, pushing toward an area near Marion, Minnesota, where the transmission line will connect to an existing 161 kV corridor owned by Dairyland Power Cooperative. By utilizing an established route that has been in place for decades, the project aims to minimize impacts to local landowners and the surrounding environment.
From that connection point, the line will run as a double-circuit 765/161 kV transmission line, eventually crossing the Mississippi River into Wisconsin.
“By using Dairyland’s existing transmission corridor, which has been in place for decades, we minimize impacts to landowners and the landscape while addressing regional reliability for current and future generations,” said Ben Porath, executive vice president & chief operating officer, Dairyland Power Cooperative. Ben Porath
The infrastructure push arrives as energy needs are growing throughout eastern Minnesota and the surrounding region.
“Investing in a strong electric grid today means we can enable economic growth and support our thriving communities in Minnesota and throughout the Upper Midwest,” said Bria Shea, president, Xcel Energy–Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota.
Regulatory Review and What Comes Next
The newly filed route permit application will undergo a joint review alongside the previously submitted Certificate of Need. Over the next 12 to 18 months, the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission will schedule public meetings and hearings throughout the project area to gather direct testimony from residents and local stakeholders before issuing a decision.
Beyond bolstering system reliability, project backers emphasize the economic ripple effects. Construction of the backbone line is expected to generate hundreds of good paying construction jobs while delivering tax revenue for local communities to provide services to residents as power demand continues its upward trajectory.
