The developer of one of the largest transmission projects in U.S. history is urging the Department of Energy to follow through on Biden-era funding, after Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley said last week that he had “secured a pledge” from the Energy secretary to halt the project.
The $11 billion Grain Belt Express would transport power from wind and solar projects 800 miles across four Midwest states. The project, which sparked battles between landowners, environmentalists and politicians for more than a decade, received a $4.9 billion conditional loan guarantee last year from the Biden administration.
On Friday, project developer Invenergy sent a letter to Energy Secretary Chris Wright pressing him to ignore “unfounded noise” and “affirm a commitment to the Grain Belt Express to reach closing, following the fulfillment of conditions negotiated in our conditional commitment.”
The project “will strengthen grid reliability and resilience while saving U.S. consumers billions of dollars,” wrote Jim Shield, vice president of Grain Belt Express, a subsidiary of Invenergy.
