Dodge County Wind Project

Dodge County Wind, LLC (DCW or applicant), a subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources, LLC, seeks a permit to construct and operate an up to 259 megawatt (MW) wind farm in Dodge and Steele counties in southeast Minnesota (Docket No. IP-6981/WS-20-866). To connect the proposed wind farm to the electrical grid, DCW also seeks a permit to construct approximately 27 miles of new 161 kilovolt (kV) transmission line between a new project substation and the existing Pleasant Valley Substation  in Mower County (Docket No. IP6981/TL-20-867). The proposed transmission line route is in Dodge and Mower counties.  DCW filed applications for the site and route permits for the project with the Commission on September 14, 2021. DCW filed amended applications for a certificate of need and site permit on January 12, 2022, and filed an amended application for a route permit on January 14, 2022.

The proposed project revises an earlier proposal to construct a 170 MW wind farm in Dodge and Steele counties and connect that wind farm to the electrical grid at the Byron Substation via a 21-mile to 26-mile long 345-kilovolt (kV) transmission line through Dodge and Olmsted Counties (Docket number IP-6981/TL-17-308).  DCW withdrew its original proposal in late 2019 due to greater than expected interconnection costs. Information on the earlier proposals for the 170 MW wind farm and the 345 kV transmission line can be found in the official eDockets record for each docket.

This webpage has been updated to link to the official eDockets record for the proposed site permit application and will be the main page for updates to the projects.  A separate webpage is maintained for the route permit application and will link to the official eDockets record for the route permit application.