Minnesota PUC Reviews Permit for 2.9-Mile Otto Tap Transmission Line
Minnesota PUC took up the final route permit for a 2.9-mile, 115 kV transmission line in Otto and Pine Lake townships at a March 19 morning meeting.
The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission convened at 10 a.m. Wednesday to consider granting a final route permit for the Otto Tap 115 kV Transmission Line Project, a 2.9-mile single-circuit line proposed for Otto and Pine Lake townships in Otter Tail County.
Great River Energy and Lake Region Electric Cooperative filed jointly for the permit under Docket 25269. The project would run a new 115-kilovolt line between Great River Energy's existing Perham to Rush Lake transmission line and a new Otto Substation, which would replace Lake Region Electric Cooperative's current Otto Substation in the same area. Under the proposed ownership arrangement, Great River Energy would construct and own the transmission line, while Lake Region Electric Cooperative would construct, own, and operate the new substation.
According to commission documents, the applicants indicated the project is needed to ensure reliable service by upgrading the Otto Substation, though the full scope of that upgrade was not detailed in publicly available docket filings.
The proceeding moved through several procedural stages before reaching Wednesday's agenda. Public information and scoping meetings were held in New York Mills in December 2025, with comments filed to the commission on December 17. Otter Tail County submitted its own formal comment on December 19. PUC Environmental and Energy Review staff filed their recommendations on the draft route permit and on the need for an environmental assessment addendum on January 7, 2026, the same date a prehearing conference order was issued. Consent items appeared on the commission's agenda in early January before the matter advanced to a final route permit hearing.
Minnesota law under the Power Plant Siting Act requires a route permit from the commission before any high-voltage transmission line rated at 100 kilovolts or above can be constructed. The Otto Tap line, at 115 kV, falls within that threshold. Route permit proceedings typically run 18 to 24 months from application filing, based on the commission's standard process for such projects.
A commission decision on the permit was pending as of the March 19 meeting.
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