Clean Line Energy has received requests for more than 20 GW of transmission service for the Grain Belt Express Clean Line in its open solicitation process, representing more than four-and-a-half times the available capacity of the transmission line.
According to Clean Line, all of the requests came from wind generators who require new transmission infrastructure to deliver wind energy from projects under development in and around western Kansas to serve customers in Missouri, Illinois and Indiana.
The Grain Belt Express Clean Line is a 750-mile direct-current transmission line that will help Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and other states in the region meet the increasing demand for renewable energy. In January 2015, Clean Line commenced an open solicitation process to allocate capacity on its Grain Belt Express Clean Line transmission project.
The open solicitation responses show a strong demand for delivery to Missouri. Ten respondents submitted requests for more than 3 GW of transmission service to deliver power to Missouri – over six times the available capacity to that delivery station. The 10 wind developers that requested Missouri service are looking to deliver low-cost wind to Missouri to meet the state's growing demand for clean energy.
The Grain Belt Express Clean Line will directly support manufacturing jobs and provide the opportunity for thousands of construction jobs.
The project will also have a delivery converter station, located in Clark County, Ill., near the Illinois/Indiana border. According to Clean Line, 14 respondents submitted requests for more than 17,000 MW of transmission service to deliver power to Illinois – four-and-a-half times the available capacity to that delivery station.
Clean Line has received the necessary regulatory approvals in Kansas and Indiana and has an application pending in Missouri. In Illinois, Clean Line will apply for regulatory approval this year. Based on current estimates, the Grain Belt Express could be energized as early as 2019.
