Submitted Art A map from the Public Service Commission shows the proposed route of a Basin Electric transmission line.

BISMARCK – The North Dakota Public Service Commission will hold two public hearings regarding a proposal to construct a transmission line in Mercer, McLean, Ward, Mountrail and Williams Counties.

Basin Electric Power Cooperative is requesting a siting permit for the construction of a 345-kV transmission line, according to PSC information. The line would be about 162 miles long and would originate at the Leland Olds Station substation located southeast of Stanton and would end at the Tande substation east of Tioga. Estimated cost of the project is $317 million.

This project was selected by the Southwest Power Pool (SPP) as part of the 2021 Interregional Transmission Planning process to mitigate reliability constraints and to increase load serving capability in the region. The project would complete a 345-kV loop around the north side of Lake Sakakawea between two existing substations where no 345-kV transmission exists today.

A hearing will be held Wednesday, Feb. 26, at 10 a.m. in Carl Bader Hall in the Underwood City Hall in Underwood. A second hearing will be held Thursday, March 6, at 9 a.m. in the Mountrail County South Complex in Stanley.

The hearings provide an opportunity for members of the public to contribute to the PSC’s official record. Any comments from members of the public must be received at a hearing to be part of the record.