Commissioners Jill Kringstad, right, and Randy Christmann listen to testimony April 2, 2026, at a Public Service Commission hearing in Fargo. On Wednesday, the commission voted to approve the JETx transmission line during a meeting in Bismarck. (Photo by Jeff Beach/North Dakota Monitor)
BISMARCK, ND (North Dakota Monitor) – The Public Service Commission has voted to approve a permit for a controversial high-voltage transmission line in eastern North Dakota.
The Jamestown to Ellendale high-voltage transmission line, known as JETx, will consist of 150-foot tall towers along a 90-mile route in Dickey, LaMoure and Stutsman counties.
The project is proposed by Otter Tail Power and MDU Resources to improve the reliability of the region’s electrical grid.
The three-member Public Service Commission voted unanimously to approve the project’s siting application and award a permit.
The agency held multiple public hearings in local communities near the route during the application review process.
The project has generated controversy in part due to landowner opposition in the area of the proposed transmission line. The landowners have a legal challenge to the project pending before the North Dakota Supreme Court. The court heard oral arguments in the case on Tuesday and has not yet issued a decision.
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