Missouri okays Grain Belt Express transmission line project

The Missouri Public Service Commission (PSC) on Wednesday announced it has given the green light to Clean Line Energy Partners’ Grain Belt Express transmission line project.

The Grain Belt Express Clean Line project is planned to deliver up to 4 GW of wind power produced in Kansas to states in the eastern US. The 780-mile (1,255 km) overhead power line is planned to transport up to 500 MW of wind power from western Kansas into Missouri and up to 3,500 MW to states farther east. Regulators in Kansas, Illinois and Indiana have already endorsed the scheme, the investment in which is estimated at USD 2.3 billion (EUR 2.04bn).

The Missouri PSC has, with unanimous support, awarded Clean Line Energy Partners a certificate of convenience and necessity to build, own, operate, control, manage and maintain the high-voltage link. The Commission has concluded that the developer has the financial ability to implement the project, touted as economically feasible and promotes the public interest, creating both short-term and long-term benefits to ratepayers in the state.

The scheme initially was rejected by Missouri regulators but the decision was overturned after a Supreme Court ruling calling for reconsideration. The transmission line's route in Missouri goes through eight counties.

In November 2018, Chicago-based Invenergy LLC said it was buying the project's development assets, while the deal is still pending regulatory clearance.

(USD 1.0 = EUR 0.885)

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