An energy company has announced plans to move forward with the construction of an 800-mile electric transmission line that will begin in southwest Kansas and move north and east into Missouri, Illinois and Indiana.
Invenergy recently took over ownership of the Grain Belt Express transmission line project, which will begin in Spearville, in Ford County. Company vice president Kris Zadlo said in an online announcement that it will provide low-cost wind energy to millions of homes. Governor Laura Kelly, Lieutenant Governor Lynn Rogers and deputy secretary Bill Murphy of the Kansas Department of Commerce also took part in the announcement.
Kelly said the project will bring 22,500 jobs over the three-year construction period, then there will be 968 full-time permanent operations jobs. It will also provide $8 billion in total, long-term economic investment to Kansas. The governor said the project will save up to $7 billion in electricity costs for Kansas and Missouri customers through the year 2045.
Rogers said the project will create good-paying jobs and it will also strengthen the state’s position as a leader in renewable energy. Murphy said the investment will fuel the Kansas economy and help restaurants, hotels, retailers and other businesses that have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, and he said it will deliver a significant economic boost to rural communities.
