The Missouri Joint Municipal Electric Utility Commission (MJMEUC) has approved a proposal to increase its renewable energy supply by purchasing long-term transmission service on the Grain Belt Express Clean Line.
The agreement between the Grain Belt Express and MJMEUC, a public power agency that serves 67 municipalities throughout Missouri, is expected to save Missouri municipal ratepayers at least $10 million annually when the project becomes operational, according to an analysis performed by MJMEUC.
The Grain Belt Express transmission project will provide MJMEUC member municipalities with long-term transmission access to wind energy from western Kansas. The project will deliver 500 MW of wind power from western Kansas to Missouri and deliver power to the Illinois/Indiana border. Missouri is the last state of four states where approval is needed for the project; regulatory commissions in Kansas, Illinois and Indiana have approved the project.
In addition, MJMEUC’s agreement for transmission service with Grain Belt Express, along with a power purchase agreement with a wind generator in western Kansas, will allow a number of MJMEUC’s member-city utilities to secure delivered wind energy at less than $0.03/kWh for up to 25 years (provided the Missouri Public Service Commission approves the Grain Belt Express Clean Line).
The initial subscriber for MJMEUC is a group of 35 cities known as the Missouri Public Energy Pool, all of which procure their energy from MJMEUC.
“This is a great opportunity for thousands of utility customers across Missouri to access the benefits of low-cost wind power delivered directly to the Missouri grid,” comments Michael Skelly, president of Clean Line Energy.
