Project Routes
Project Map
The Mankato-Mississippi River Transmission Project was initially organized into four segments between the existing Wilmarth Substation in Mankato, Minnesota, and a connection point at the Mississippi River near Kellogg, Minnesota. The segments include both new and upgraded lines. Additional route alternatives were added during the environmental scoping process. These alternatives, along with routes originally proposed in the Route Permit application, will be studied as part of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that the Minnesota Department of Commerce – Energy Environmental Review and Analysis is preparing for the project.
Explore our interactive map below, then learn about our Routing Process and Regulatory Process.
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Project Owners
Xcel Energy, Dairyland Power Cooperative, Rochester Public Utilities and Southern Minnesota Municipal Power Agency are developing this project to serve southern Minnesota. Xcel Energy will develop and own the infrastructure in segments 1 and 2, while all project partners will participate in segments 3 and 4. All segments will be permitted together.
Routing Process
Our route selection process is a multi-step analysis that identifies route alternatives with minimal impacts to humans and the environment. The routing process generally includes:
Preliminary routes were evaluated to identify potential impacts, including proximity to residences, opportunities to share corridors (including roads and other transmission lines), impacts to agriculture, locations of protected lands and resources, aesthetics, and other concerns.
We held public open houses in May and collected feedback on the preliminary route options.
Once preliminary routes were identified, we gathered input from the public, local governments, Tribes and resource agencies to help refine the preliminary routes. Your feedback about specific constraints or challenges on preliminary routes, or identification of alternative route opportunities, was especially helpful as we developed the project. This feedback was considered in the preliminary routes, which underwent a more detailed comparative analysis.
Refined route options were presented in September 2023 - view the Events page to the view meeting materials.
The refined routes developed in the previous step were included in the combined Route Permit and Certificate of Need application we submitted to the MPUC on April 2, 2024. The MPUC is expected to make a final decision on the combined application in the 4th quarter of 2025. Find out more on the Regulatory Process page.
There will be further opportunities to comment on the application and other regulatory activities for this project. Join our mailing list to stay up to date on project news and events.
Upcoming Events
In the coming months, the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission will hold public hearings as part of the route application review process.
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Library & FAQs
Download a project fact sheet and review frequently asked questions.
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