BY: MORGAN CHILSON
Kansas Reflector
TOPEKA — The Grain Belt Express, an 800-mile electric transmission line to be built through Kansas, Missouri, Illinois and Indiana, announced $1.7 billion in contractor awards on Wednesday.
The awards were made to Quanta Services of Houston and Kiewit Energy Group Inc. of Omaha. Grain Belt Express is an Invenergy project expected to add 5,000 megawatts of U.S. energy delivery capacity, according to an Invenergy press release. It’s also expected to provide $52 billion in energy cost savings to Americans over 15 years.
“Quanta Services and Kiewit have strong local presences and expect to source raw materials locally in Kansas and Missouri when possible, including concrete, aggregate, civil materials, conduit, and piping,” the press release said. “Main construction, engineering, and procurement offices for Grain Belt Express Phase 1 will be based out of Overland Park and Lenexa, Kansas.”
Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson said the Grain Belt Express is a multimillion dollar investment that will pay off for Kansans.
“The selection of contractors and suppliers with a local presence is just one of the many sizable economic benefits Grain Belt Express brings, in addition to greater energy cost savings and reliability,” he said.
In April, the Kansas Corporation Commission modified the route for one of two transmission lines that will connect wind and solar farms to the Grain Belt Express that was originally planned to run for 46 miles through parts of Ford, Meade and Gray counties.
“The new route reduces the length of the line by 12 miles and avoids 24 parcels of land resulting in fewer landowners being impacted,” a KCC press release said. “The 16-mile Bucklin-Dodge City Line remains unchanged.”
A map showing the new route of the Meade-Dodge City line can be viewed here.
The Invenergy press release said 1,500 agreements have been executed with landowners for easement rights. More than $105 million is part of executed easement agreements, including $19 million already paid to landowners and an additional $86 million due at construction, the company said. More than 95% of Grain Belt Express Phase 1 main line land acquisition is complete.
“Kansans working to balance household budgets and run businesses want energy that’s affordable and reliable, and that’s what we are getting with Grain Belt Express, all without ratepayers being forced to pay for it,” said Kansas House Speaker Dan Hawkins.