Project Overview
The Northern Lights 2025 Expansion Project will allow Northern to accommodate requests from its customers for firm natural gas transportation capacity along Northern’s existing pipeline system. To meet these requests, Northern is proposing to construct and operate the following facilities in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
| Component Name | Component Description | County | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pipeline | 2.43-mile extension of the 30-inch-diameter Elk River 3rd branch line loop | Washington | MN |
| Pipeline | Non-contiguous 1.91-mile extension of the 30-inch-diameter Farmington to Hugo C-line | Washington | MN |
| Pipeline | 3.00-mile extension of the 36-inch-diameter Lake Mills to Albert Lea E-line | Freeborn | MN |
| Pipeline | 1.28-mile extension of the 8-inch-diameter Tomah branch line loop | Monroe | WI |
| Compression | Minor modifications to the La Crescent compressor station | Houston | MN |
Northern filed its section 7 application with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or Commission) February 16, 2024, requesting project approval. FERC assigned Docket No. CP24-60-000 to the section 7 application. Northern is anticipating approval for the project, subject to Commission review, will occur in December 2024. The facilities are scheduled to be placed into service November 1, 2025.
Documents
- Northern supplemental comments to the environmental assessment regarding the Blanding’s Turtle Avoidance Plan (filed October 17, 2024)
- Northern's response to the July 13, 2026, FERC environmental data request (filed July 21, 2026)
- Northern's response to the July 17, 2026, FERC rates data request (filed July 21, 2026)
- Northern’s acceptance of the order, response to conditions of the order and implementation plan (filed March 5, 2025)
- Northern’s affirmative statement attesting the Lake Mills to Albert Lea E-line and Farmington to Hugo C-line were constructed in compliance with the conditions of the order (filed November 20, 2025)
- Northern’s Biweekly Report #4 (filed April 16, 2025)
- Northern’s biweekly report (filed July 22, 2025)
- Northern’s biweekly report 10 (filed July 11, 2025)
- Northern’s biweekly report 12 (filed August 6, 2025)
- Northern’s biweekly report 13
- Northern’s biweekly report 14
- Northern’s biweekly report 15 (submitted September 17, 2025)
- Northern’s biweekly report 16 (filed October 6, 2025)
- Northern’s biweekly report 17 (filed October 21, 2025)
- Northern’s biweekly report 18 (filed November 3, 2025)
- Northern’s biweekly report 19 (filed November 13, 2025)
- Northern’s Biweekly Report 2 (filed March 24, 2025)
- Northern’s biweekly report 20 (filed November 25, 2025)
- Northern’s biweekly report 21 (filed December 9, 2025)
- Northern’s biweekly report 3 (filed April 15, 2025)
- Northern’s biweekly report 5 (filed April 30, 2025)
- Northern’s biweekly report 6 (public information) – filed May 16, 2025
- Northern’s biweekly report 7 (filed May 29, 2025)
- Northern’s biweekly report 8 (filed June 12, 2025)
- Northern’s biweekly report 9 (filed June 27, 2025)
- Northern’s notice of abandonment of the aboveground valve setting located at the take-off for the Lake Mills to Albert Lea E-line extension (filed October 16, 2025)
- Northern’s notice of in-service for the Lake Mills to Albert Lea E-line and Farmington to Hugo C-line (filed November 3, 2025)
- Northern’s notice of in-service for the Tomah branch line loop extension and the La Crescent compressor station modifications (filed 10/01/2025)
- Northern’s notice of start of construction for the Farmington to Hugo C-line and the Elk River 3rd branch line (filed April 24, 2025)
- Northern’s notice of start of construction for the Lake Mills to Albert Lea E-line extension (filed April 21, 2025)
- Northern’s quarterly report 1 (submitted March 11, 2026)
- Northern’s request for approval to commence construction (filed March 24, 2025)
- Northern’s request for approval to place the Lake Mills to Albert Lea E-line and Farmington to Hugo C-line in service (filed October 28, 2025)
- Northern’s request for approval to place the Tomah branch line loop in service
- Northern’s request to place the modifications at the La Crescent compressor station in service (filed September 9, 2025)
- Northern’s response (public information only) to the FERC environmental data request issued June 25, 2024 (filed July 5, 2024)
- Northern’s response to Condition 15 requesting approval of the noise mitigation plan for the Tomah P4-1 HDD and approval to commence construction activities on HDD P4-1 (filed May 13, 2025)
- Northern’s response to conditions of the Order – Public alignment sheets and HDD Plan and Profiles and Site-specific Plans (filed March 5, 2025)
- Northern’s response to data request 1 in Excel format (filed May 1, 2024)
- Northern’s response to data request 5 in Excel format (Filed May 1, 2024)
- Northern’s response to FERC data request #1 dated July 25, 2024 (filed July 30, 2024)
- Northern’s response to FERC data request dated July 25, 2024 and to the scoping comments submitted April 25, 2024 by Land Stewardship Project (filed July 30, 2024)
- Northern’s response to FERC May 9, 2024 data request
- Northern’s response to FERC May 9, 2024 data request
- Northern’s response to the FERC data request dated August 12, 2024 (filed August 14, 2024)
- Northern’s response to the FERC data request dated August 22, 2204 (filed September 3, 2024
- Northern’s response to the FERC June 13, 2024, data request regarding return on equity
- Northern’s response to the May 15, 2024 FERC environmental data request (filed June 4, 2024)
- Northern’s responses to FERC’s April 17, 2024 data request (filed May 1, 2024)
- Northern’s revised notice of start of construction for the Farmington to Hugo C-line (filed May 8, 2025)
- Northern’s Section 7 application – Resource Report 4
- Northern’s supplement to its response to FERC’s May 15, 2024, environmental data request (filed June 7, 2024)
- Northern’s variance request (public information) seeking approval for an additional extra temporary workspace on the Elk River 3rd branch line (filed November 7, 2025)
- Northern’s variance request seeking approval of additional temporary workspace for the placement of saturated soils on the Lake Mills to Albert Lea E-line extension (filed August 20, 2025)
- Northern’s variance request seeking approval to conduct construction activities on Sundays for the Lake Mills to Albert Lea E-line extension, the Farmington to Hugo C-line extension and Elk River 3rd branch line extension (submitted September 18, 2025)
- Northern’s variance request seeking approval to use an additional extra temporary workspace to remediate the subsidence areas, which developed during horizontal directional drill activities (P4-5) on the Elk River 3rd branch line extension
- Northern’s variance request seeking approval to use temporary compression to tie-in the Elk River 3rd branch line (filed August 29, 2025)
- Notice of abandonment for the aboveground valve setting associated with the Tomah branch line loop project (filed August 26, 2025)
- Supplemental correspondence/concurrence from the Minnesota State Historic Preservation Office and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (filed November 15, 2024)
- Supplemental information (public information) (filed August 13, 2024)
- Supplemental Information Filed by Northern (filed July 19, 2024)
- USFWS Concurrence (filed March 13, 2024)
- Variance request seeking approval of four additional extra temporary workspaces on the Lake Mills to Albert Lea E-line extension (filed June 30, 2025)
- Comments by Landowner (filed April 8, 2024)
- Comments by Wisconsin Department of Resources (filed March 22, 2024)
- Comments Filed by Land Stewardship Project (filed April 25, 2024)
- Comments Filed by the Environmental Protection Agency (filed April 24, 2024)
- Comments filed by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (filed April 25, 2024)
- Comments filed by the Teamsters National Pipeline Labor Management Cooperation Trust (filed April 25, 2024)
- Comments filed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (filed May 3, 2024)
- Landowner Comments (filed April 16, 2024)
- Motion to Intervene by Atmos Energy Corporation (Filed March 11, 2024)
- Motion to intervene by Minnesota Energy Resources Corporation, et. al. (Filed March 21, 2024)
- Motion to intervene by Northern States Power – Minnesota and Northern States Power – Wisconsin (filed March 18, 2024)
- Motion to Intervene of Northern Illinois Gas Company d/b/a Nicor Gas Company
- Environmental Assessment
- FERC approval of the noise mitigation plan for the P4-1 HDD on the Tomah branch line loop and approval to commence P4-1 HDD activities
- FERC approval of variance request for additional extra temporary workspace to store saturated soil on the Lake Mills to Albert Lea E-line extension (issued August 20, 2025)
- FERC approval to place the La Crescent compressor station modifications in service (issued September 15, 2025)
- FERC approval to place the Lake Mills to Albert Lea E-line and Farmington to Hugo C-line in service (issued October 30, 2025)
- FERC approval to utilize a temporary evacuation system to depressurize MNB87701 to accommodate tie-in activities for the Elk River extension (issued September 15, 2025)
- FERC data request (issued April 17, 2024)
- FERC data request (issued August 12, 2024)
- FERC data request (issued July 25, 2024)
- FERC data request (issued June 25, 2024)
- FERC Data Request 2 (issued May 9, 2024)
- FERC Data Request 3 – environmental (issued May 15, 2024)
- FERC Data Request 4 – accounting/return on equity (issued June 13, 2024)
- FERC Data Request 5 (issued September 2, 2026)
- FERC issuance of notice of availability of the environmental assessment
- FERC Notice of Application and Establishing Intervention Deadline (Issued 2/29/2024)
- FERC notice of scoping period requesting comments for environmental issues (issued March 26, 2024)
- FERC Notice to Proceed with construction (issued April 3, 2025)
- FERC report documenting July 28, 2026, inspection
- FERC report documenting May 15-16, 2025, inspection of the construction right of way
- FERC report documenting the July 8, 2025, field inspection (issued July 31, 2025)
- FERC report for the July 7, 2026 inspection (issued July 23, 2026)
- FERC report for the September 23 – 24, 2025 inspection (issued October 29, 2025)
- FERC’s approval for the additional temporary workspace for the Elk River 3rd branch line (issued November 17, 2025)
- FERC’s approval of Northern’s request to utilize additional extra temporary work space at two open cut road crossings (140th Street and County Road 80/154th Street) for the Lake Mills to Albert Lea E-line extension
- FERC’s approval to conduct construction activities on Sundays for the Lake Mills to Albert Lea E-line, Elk River 3rd branch line, and Farmington to Hugo C-line extensions (issued September 24, 2025)
- FERC’s approval to place the Tomah branch line loop in service (issued September 24, 2025)
- FERC’s approval to use additional workspace to remediate subsidence areas which developed during horizonal directional drill P4-5 activities on the Elk River 3rd branch line (issued October 28, 2025)
- FERC’s notice of schedule of preparation of an environmental assessment and completion of the environmental review
- FERC’s report documenting the August 26 – 27, 2025 inspection of the project right of way (issued September 12, 2025)
Contact Information:
- Should you have any questions please feel free to contact Northern at 1-888-367-6671, which is operated 24 hours a day seven days a week. If you call, please tell the operator that you are calling about the Northern Lights 2025 Expansion project.
- You also may email us at: NorthernLights2025@nngco.com