The Illinois Commerce Commission or ICC granted the Grain Belt Express transmission line project a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity, marking the conclusion of over a yearlong public input and review process. The approval will enable $4.3 billion in expected energy cost savings for Illinois energy consumers while helping to address growing concerns about regional power grid reliability.
The Grain Belt Express has now secured initial siting approvals for the high-voltage direct current portion of the line by state utility regulators in all states along the route including Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana.
The benefits for Illinois include $1.3 billion in new economic activity during construction for Illinois from the line and enabled generation, 1,400 new jobs supported during construction, and $565 million in supported wages in Illinois.
In its ruling, the ICC found that the Grain Belt Express had satisfied all the requirements under the law to be granted a CPCN and approved the proposed route with no changes. You can keep up to date on the project by visiting www.grainbeltexpress.com.
