Dodge County Wind 161 kV Transmission Line

Please Note:  The Department maintains the wind farm webpage as the primary page for project updates. The most current information on both the wind farm and transmission elements of the Dodge County Wind Project can be found on the wind farm page.

Dodge County Wind, LLC (DCW or applicant), a subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources, LLC, is seeking a permit to construct approximately 27 miles of new 161 kilovolt (kV) transmission line in Dodge and Mower counties. The proposed transmission project would connect DCW’s proposed 259 MW Dodge County Wind project with the grid between a new project substation and the existing Pleasant Valley Substation (Docket No. IP6981/TL-20-867) in Mower County. DCW anticipates filing applications for the projects with the Commission in September 2021.

The proposed projects revise 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.

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

Information on the earlier proposals for the 170 MW wind farm and the 345 kV transmission line can be found on the official eDockets record by searching  

(17-307) for the wind project, and

(17-308) for the transmission line