US Clean Line's transmission project gets nod to sell services to wind power farms

Aug 20, 2014 - The US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has allowed Clean Line Energy Partners’ transmission line project, planned to deliver 3,500 MW of wind power to the south, to sell services to customers, the developer said on Monday.

The 700 miles (1,100 km) long line will carry wind power from Oklahoma to communities in Arkansas, Tennessee and other states in the US mid-south and southeast. The western part of Oklahoma is in America's wind tunnel, where most of the US on-shore wind resources are sited.

The exact route, as well as alternative routes for the line, will be set in the last quarter of the year.

Following the FERC approval, Plains and Eastern Clean Line LLC, a unit of transmission line developer Clean Line, will be able to offer the transmission service to potential customers at “negotiated rates” and enter agreements for 100% of the line’s capacity. The firm also envisages to build a 500-MW intermediate delivery converter station in central Arkansas.

The 600 kV overhead direct current electric transmission system is seen to pave the way for over USD 6 billion (EUR 4.5bn) of investment in new wind projects, Clean Line Energy said. It also noted that it has received more than 17,000 MW of requests for transmission services between May and July.

(USD 1.0 = EUR 0.751)

Choose your newsletter by Renewables Now. Join for free!