Dairyland Power Cooperative and Gridliance Heartland presented plans for the Marybelle transmission project to the Houston County board, describing a rebuild of the existing 161 kV corridor as a double-circuit transmission line intended to serve projected regional load growth. Presenters said the project would replace the existing 161-kilovolt structures with new lattice towers carrying a higher-voltage backbone above the rebuilt 161 kV line and would follow the existing corridor through parts of Olmsted, Mauer, Fillmore and the southern portion of Houston County into Wisconsin.

The project team—introduced by Clady Wood, manager of regional transmission projects, and Gridliance’s Jessica Hewitt—told the board the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) identified the upgrade as necessary to relieve congestion and meet anticipated demand. Jessica Hewitt said the project was direct-assigned by MISO and described it as a ‘‘double circuit’’ that would put the higher-voltage line above a rebuilt 161 kV circuit. ‘‘The intent is to rebuild that 161 kV line on a new steel lattice tower and have the higher-voltage line above that,’’ Hewitt said.

Why it matters: project supporters say a single higher-voltage corridor can move the equivalent of multiple lower-voltage lines while reducing overall land-use footprint. At the meeting, presenters estimated the approach could save ‘‘70 to 80% on land use’’ compared with multiple corridors and forecast construction to begin in 2031 with an in-service target of June 1, 2034, pending state and federal permitting.

Local impacts and easements: presenters acknowledged that the project will require expanded easements along much of the corridor and described a voluntary acquisition process led by contracted right-of-way agents (Doyle Land Services). They said easements would generally be paid by acreage and that appraisals would account for limits on future land use. ‘‘We plan on buying all the easement we need to where you just wouldn't be allowed to install a structure up to the edge of the right of way,’’ a presenter said, adding the team would ‘‘work with landowners’’ during micro-siting to reduce local impacts.

Community concerns raised at the meeting included tower height near airports and cell sites, audible noise from lines in heavy rain, stray voltage for agricultural operations, and whether lines could be undergrounded. Presenters said undergrounding is cost‑prohibitive and can increase environmental impacts, and referenced Minnesota regulations limiting audible transmission noise to 50 decibels at the edge of right-of-way in worst‑case conditions. On electromagnetic fields (EMF), the presenters cited scientific organizations and said ‘‘based on the scientific research to date, there is no causal effect between EMF and disease,’’ and that EMF and grounding are part of standard engineering design.

Permitting and next steps: the presenters said they have filed an initial certificate-of-need application with the Minnesota PUC and plan to submit a routing permit application in September 2026, with additional public outreach events and PUC-required hearings as part of the process. They committed to return to the county for more detailed open houses in January with a GIS station so landowners can view proposed centerlines on individual parcels.

What’s next: presenters encouraged landowners with parcel concerns to contact the project hotline, attend the January open houses and speak to the project’s right-of-way agents. The presenters said they would compile input and consider route adjustments during the micro-siting stage prior to final routing filings with regulators.