The Taylorville Kiwanis Club heard from an official with the proposed Grain Belt Express wind energy power line, at their Tuesday meeting at the Taylorville Memorial Hospital auditorium.

Rick Cornell represents Clean Line Energy, the company proposing to build a 750-mile wind energy power line from turbines to be built in Kansas, and hauling the power thru Missouri and Central Illinois to wholesale power buyers in both states.

Cornell said the project is unique because it will generate and transmit direct current voltage, rather than alternate current voltage, with converter stations set up at key points along the line where they will then distribute the power to buyers.

The turbines will cost some 7 to 9-billion dollars, and the transmission line will cost some 2-million dollars per mile to build.

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Clean Line Energy plans to submit to the Illinois Commerce Commission later this year, the favorite route, and an alternate route, for the proposed line. The company has held one set of meetings in the areas the line is proposed to go thru; another set of meetings will be held in February and another in March.

Cornell said they hope to begin construction in 2017 and have the project completed generating power in 2019.

The public is reminded to attend the Kiwanis Club's annual Pancake and Sausage Day on Saturday, January 31st from 6:30 to 11am at the Taylorville Moose Lodge. Proceeds from the fund raiser help the local Kiwanis Club provide services and programs for children and youth in the Taylorville community, such as Kiwanis Park, Coats for Kids, and high school scholarships.

The Taylorville Kiwanis Club is part of global organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world one child and one community at a time. Weekly meetings are held Tuesdays at noon at the Taylorville Memorial Hospital auditorium. For information on the club, go to taylorvillekiwanis.com.