JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – Missouri regulators have reversed course and given
the go-ahead to one of the nation’s largest renewable energy projects.
The Grain Belt Express power line approved Wednesday would carry wind power
from Kansas on a 780-mile (1,255 kilometer) path across Missouri and Illinois
before hooking into a power grid in Indiana that serves eastern states.
The Missouri Public Service Commission had rejected the project twice
previously, but it reconsidered following a ruling last year by the state
Supreme Court.
In November, Chicago-based Invenergy announced it was buying the project from
Houston-based Clean Line Energy Partners. That deal should bolster the
financing, but the sale still needs regulatory approval.
The transmission line also would need regulatory approval in Illinois, where a
state appeals court overturned the state’s previous approval.
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