Blog Post: Invenergy calls for US Department of Energy to significantly narrow proposed Midwest-Plains NIETC corridor

Invenergy calls for US Department of Energy to significantly narrow proposed Midwest-Plains NIETC corridor

As America’s energy needs increase, one of the most critical challenges is ensuring more affordable and reliable transmission of electricity from areas of available supply to regions with high demand. Based on findings from the National Transmission Needs Study, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in May 2024 announced ten preliminary proposed National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors (NIETCs) to serve this need.

The preliminary proposed Midwest-Plains corridor encompasses the existing route of Invenergy’s Grain Belt Express transmission project, which connects four states—Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana—across nearly 800 miles. Grain Belt Express will deliver approximately four nuclear power plants worth of new energy supply and benefits including energy ratepayer savings, grid reliability and resilience, local economic development, access to diversified and cleaner energy sources, and strengthened national security.

Because of overlap between the preliminary proposed Midwest-Plains NIETC corridor and Invenergy’s Grain Belt Express transmission project, Invenergy is actively engaged with stakeholders at all levels and is intently listening to the opinions and concerns of those involved, most importantly the residents impacted by this project. That’s why today Invenergy submitted supplemental comments to DOE outlining the following:

• Invenergy proposes significantly narrowing the Midwest-Plains corridor from the initially proposed 5-mile width to 0.5 miles.
• This recommendation is based on requirements for supporting a single transmission project in the corridor, informed by Grain Belt Express development experience. Invenergy has no intention of developing future interregional transmission projects parallelling Grain Belt Express within the Midwest-Plains corridor and does not believe this would be feasible for other developers to attempt.
• A single project meeting the corridor’s transmission needs will minimize impacts from infrastructure development. Grain Belt Express is capable of this as the highest-capacity power line in the United States at 5,000 megawatts.
• The need for the Midwest-Plains corridor continues to be great—it would facilitate interregional transmission between major U.S. grid regions that serve approximately 40% of U.S. households and over 25% of U.S. Department of Defense installations. This includes the MISO region that serves large parts of Missouri and Illinois and has been declared a “high risk area” of the U.S. grid.
• The need for the corridor also continues to grow. New data from the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) are forecasting energy deficiencies in extreme weather conditions for the SPP grid region that serves Kansas.
• Invenergy’s primary interest in securing NIETC designation for the Midwest-Plains corridor is for Grain Belt Express to be able to access additional federal financing options that support competitive rates for energy end users.
• Invenergy has demonstrated the ability to successfully work with landowners to acquire easements. Over 97% of parcels for the Grain Belt Express Phase 1 HVDC line are already acquired, the vast majority through voluntarily signed agreements. Grain Belt Express has secured all required state approvals and, so long as those approvals remain in place, will not seek federal siting authority (which does not automatically come with a NIETC designation). In the event the integrity of any existing state approvals are threatened, Grain Belt Express intends to pursue every available avenue at the state level to reinstate or secure approval prior to seeking federal siting authority.
• To help further address stakeholder concerns, Invenergy is also encouraging DOE to consider additional opportunities for stakeholder involvement and engagement.

Invenergy is excited and motivated to see Grain Belt Express come online and serve the American people in delivering reliable, affordable energy across the country. It is a solution to one of the top challenges worrying community, business, and economic development leaders across the Midwest: increasing energy bills. Invenergy is investing to help the region recapture the traditional energy cost advantage that powers prosperity. Beyond delivering billions of dollars in energy cost savings, Grain Belt Express will generate billions more in economic activity regionally, create thousands of jobs and provide millions of dollars in new, local tax revenue for communities along the route.

Reducing the approved width of the corridor will balance the needs of states to access additional power while also addressing the concerns and uncertainty stakeholders along the path of the project are expressing and ultimately build greater confidence and support for both Grain Belt Express and the NIETC program more broadly.

Read Invenergy’s full supplemental comments to the DOE NIETC program here.