Creating a new energy infrastructure link between these grids will increase electric system reliability for each region and the states and consumers that are part of those markets. Here’s how:
We’re not just building to deliver more affordable, reliable energy for Midwestern communities, we’re building with communities: creating jobs, collaborating with landowners, and supporting local institutions and nonprofit organizations along the route.
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$11.3 BILLION
In energy cost savings delivered to route state consumers over 15 years – part of the $52 billion in total savings for American energy consumers living in grid regions the project connects.
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22,300 DIRECT JOBS
Created during construction of the line and new generation.
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$25 BILLION
Invested in new U.S. energy infrastructure.
Regional Need, National Reach
Investment in our power grid hasn’t kept pace with growing energy demand. The grid crisis is affecting the Midwest particularly hard – with reliability and affordability concerns greatest in these regions. But grid challenges impact the entire country. That’s why Grain Belt Express is a solution built to address challenges on a national scale.
How it works
The electricity available to the local utility or co-op serving your home or business is managed through regional electric grids that cover large areas. Those grid regions are shown in the map. Grain Belt Express will be the first U.S. transmission line to connect 4 of these grid regions, improving affordability and reliability, while building a national energy security backbone for the country. By delivering more affordable power into each grid region, all consumers connected to that grid and neighboring grids benefit, regardless of whether your local utility purchases power from Grain Belt Express.
A Reliability Backbone for the U.S.
Grain Belt Express will strengthen reliability and deliver savings to grid regions serving 29 states and D.C. These regions include over 40% of American households and 25% of DOD installations.
Emergency Two-Way Power Flow
Grain Belt Express’s HVDC technology allows power to be precisely controlled to flow both eastward and westward.
This is especially important when emergency conditions require grid operators to rely on imported supply from other regions to meet power needs.
In February 2021, severe winter weather led to region-wide power outages across the Midwest that affected Kansas and Missouri.
During this severe weather emergency, had Grain Belt Express been operational and called upon by grid operators, the line would have made it possible to import substantial amounts of excess electricity supply from eastern grid regions to help alleviate or avoid outages in the Midwest.
Landowner Relationships are a Top Priority
Across our projects, Invenergy has relationships with over 12,000 landowners, more than 80 percent of whom are farmers and ranchers. We know how to build, the right way, and that means treating landowners with respect and fairness.
