A U.
S.
development company, Direct Connect Development Co.
, said it hopes to build a 349-mile underground transmission line to bring renewable energy from the windy rural Iowa to the high-demand eastern cities of the United States
.
Direct Connect Development Co.
said Monday it hopes to build a 2,100-megawatt high-voltage transmission line that will run from beneath Mason to the Chicago area
along an existing rail line.
The project, called SOO Green, is expected to cost about $2.
5 billion and could be operational
by 2024, the company said.
Permits from many local, state, and federal agencies, including the Iowa Public Utilities Commission and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, are required to proceed with the project
.
Iowa is a national leader in wind power, though utilities have received more opposition from rural Iowa landowners who are concerned about issues such as
turbine noise and its impact on farmland.
Direct Connect said it could "limit the environmental impact of the project" because it stretches under sensitive habitats, limiting impacts
on birds and other endangered species.
The company said at a press release that "building SOO Green underground and leveraging existing rail rights will also reduce the impact on neighboring landowners.
"
A U.
S.
development company, Direct Connect Development Co.
, said it hopes to build a 349-mile underground transmission line to bring renewable energy from the windy rural Iowa to the high-demand eastern cities of the United States
.
Direct Connect Development Co.
said Monday it hopes to build a 2,100-megawatt high-voltage transmission line that will run from beneath Mason to the Chicago area
along an existing rail line.
The project, called SOO Green, is expected to cost about $2.
5 billion and could be operational
by 2024, the company said.
Permits from many local, state, and federal agencies, including the Iowa Public Utilities Commission and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, are required to proceed with the project
.
Iowa is a national leader in wind power, though utilities have received more opposition from rural Iowa landowners who are concerned about issues such as
turbine noise and its impact on farmland.
Direct Connect said it could "limit the environmental impact of the project" because it stretches under sensitive habitats, limiting impacts
on birds and other endangered species.
The company said at a press release that "building SOO Green underground and leveraging existing rail rights will also reduce the impact on neighboring landowners.
"
