The US Plains & Eastern Clean Line transmission project

Background

Renewable energy provides Americans with jobs, clean air, and energy security. However, the continued growth of this burgeoning industry depends upon the expansion of the U.S. electric transmission grid. Americans have come to realize the benefits of using renewable energy and are now more than ever encouraged to take advantage of the opportunities made possible by a clean energy economy.

While the United States has some of the best renewable resources in the world, they are predominantly located in remote areas. The challenge lies in transporting the energy generated from these resources to communities that need the power—a challenge Clean Line Energy is working to solve.

An effective transmission solution requires the appropriate technology and the right project. The Plains & Eastern Clean Line transmission project will deliver more than 3,500 megawatts of low-cost wind power from the Oklahoma Panhandle region to utilities and customers in Tennessee, Arkansas, and other markets in the Mid-South and Southeast.

The clean energy will be transported via an approximately 700-mile overhead direct current (DC) transmission line currently under development.  DC is the most efficient and cost effective technology to move large amounts of electricity over long distances due to its lower electricity losses and smaller footprint than comparable alternating current (AC) lines.

Just as trains carry cattle, wheat, cotton and other goods from rural areas to urban centers, the Plains & Eastern Clean Line will carry renewable energy from the Great Plains east to markets that have a strong demand for low-cost, clean power. The Plains & Eastern Clean Line will create thousands of jobs, stimulate economic development, reduce pollution and water consumption, and enhance energy security and system reliability.

The development and construction of the Plains & Eastern Clean Line is estimated to cost approximately $2 billion and will make possible more than $7 billion of new renewable energy investments. The Plains & Eastern Clean Line will deliver enough clean energy to serve more than one million homes per year. Renewable energy generators and utilities that purchase transmission capacity on the line will pay for usage of the Plains and Eastern Clean Line.

Benefits

The Plains & Eastern Clean Line will make possible billions of dollars of investments in new renewable energy projects that could not otherwise be built due to the limitations of the existing electric transmission grid. This project will bring about tremendous rural economic development, create thousands of permanent and temporary construction jobs, and dramatically reduce carbon dioxide pollutants by millions of tons. In addition, the wind farms made possible by the transmission line will incentivize the manufacturing of wind turbines and enable significant financial contribution to local communities through employment opportunities, property taxes and landowner royalties. State and local governments can use these additional tax revenues to support local community needs, such as improvements to schools, hospitals, fire departments and police services.

The Plains & Eastern Clean Line Project is undoubtedly one of the most important wind energy enhancing projects in the US and deserves an introduction to the Windfair.net coommunity.

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