By MATT PIKE
St. Joseph Post
The Grain Belt Express project has proven contentious across northern Missouri where the transmission line is planned, but a new plan hopes to garner more support.
Originally, the line from Ford County, Kansas would send 500 megawatts of power from alternative wind energy to Missouri.
Director of Transmission and Business Development Kevin Chandler says under the new phase of the project Missouri will receive even more
"But since Invenergy Transmission purchased the project in 2019, we're actually proposing to expand the delivery into Missouri to five times that original amount," Chandler tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post.
Chandler says after much contention, people are beginning to come around to the idea of the project due to discussions with landowners.
"Understand their concerns and to provide information about the project itself," Chandler says. "And we work really hard to develop positive relationships with landowners in our host communities."
Chandler says 86 percent of the landowners in phase one of the project have voluntarily agreed to use of land for the project.
Chandler says many of the changes made to the project were a result of discussions with landowners.
"Listening to those concerns we have redesigned the project and are proposing to deliver that extra power into the state," Chandler explains. "I think that's very much a result of some of the feedback that we've heard from people here in the state."
An open house was held in St. Joseph on Thursday to hear concerns from landowners and to be able to discuss parts of the project that might be misunderstood.
