TOPEKA – Thursday, the Kansas Corporation Commission approved an order granting a siting permit to Grain Belt Express Clean Line LLC to construct the Kansas portion of a 600 kV high voltage direct current  transmission line, and an HVDC converter station and associated transmission facilities.
The line begins in Ford County crosses 13 Kansas counties to the Kansas, Missouri border, and delivers wind energy from southwest Kansas to a point near Sullivan County, Indiana. The Kansas portion of the line is approximately 370 miles.
A portion of the project, being developed by Houston, Texas,-based Clean Line Energy Partners, passes through Pawnee and Barton Counties.
The line is planned to move 3,500 megawatts of wind energy from Ford County to points farther east. The energy will be transported via an approximately 700-mile overhead, high-voltage direct current transmission line at a cost of about $2 million per mile.
In Barton County, the proposed route runs west of Great Bend and north, following U.S. Highway 281 to just south of Russell, where it will jog east of that city.
Construction won’t begin until 2016 at the earliest.
The Barton County Commission Monday in October approved sending a letter to the KCC requesting it take into consideration the impact of the proposed Grain Belt Express transmission line on oil production in the county.
The action came despite assurances from Clean Line that the line would not interfere with existing oil leases. They also said they will work with oil producers concerning future development in the region.
The transmission lines will run through private property, and land owners will be asked to sign legally binding agreements. Several area landowners expressed concern about these agreements.
In its decision, the KCC cited the short and long-term economic benefits to Kansas and the opportunity for further wind development and export in granting final approval. The Commission ruled that the proposed electric transmission line is necessary and the proposed route is reasonable. The transmission line represents an estimated $900 million investment in Kansas that is intended to enable $7 billion of investment in the development and sale of wind energy produced in southwestern Kansas.
According to a KCC news release, in Kansas, the project is estimated to result in 2,340 jobs annually during the three-year construction period, and an estimated 135 jobs to operate and maintain the project on an ongoing basis. Additionally, construction of the associated wind facilities in Kansas is estimated to generate between 15,542 and 19,656 Kansas jobs, while operating and maintaining the wind farms is expected to generate 528 Kansas jobs.
The Commission stipulated that Grain Belt Express must obtain transmission line siting approvals from Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana state utility commissions prior to beginning construction on the Kansas portion of the line. Grain Belt Express is allowed five years from the date of the Commission’s Order to begin construction of the project in Kansas or will be required to reapply. The Commission further stipulated that the cost of the project cannot be recovered from Kansas ratepayers.
Grain Belt Express filed their siting application on July 15, 2013. Kansas Law (K.S.A. 66-178 and 66-1,179) requires the Commission to issue a final decision no later than 120 days after the application is filed. The Commission held four public hearings and notice was provided to affected landowners. In issuing their final decision, the Commission has a statutory duty to determine if the line is necessary and the proposed route reasonable.
A complete copy of the Commission’s Order is available at www.kcc.ks.gov, clicking on Docket Filings, and entering Docket No. 13-GBEE-803-MIS.