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A development company wants to build a 349-mile underground transmission line that would bring renewable energy from rural areas rich in wind turbines to high-demand cities in the eastern United States.

Direct Connect Development Co. announced Monday that it wanted to build a 2100-megawatt high-voltage transmission line connecting Mason City underground to the Chicago area, along existing railway lines, mainly Canadian Peaceful.

The project, called SOO Green, is expected to cost about $ 2.5 billion and could be operational by 2024, the company said. It would require permits from several local, national and federal agencies, including the Iowa Utilities Board and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, to continue the project.

A proponent proposes to transmit wind energy from rural Iowa to cities in the eastern United States via a high-voltage underground transmission line that would link an existing railway line. (Photo: Direct Connect Development Co. contribution)

Iowa is a national leader in wind power generation, although utilities are facing increased opposition from rural Iowa landowners, concerned about turbines' noise and their impact on farmland, among other issues.

Direct Connect stated that it could limit the environmental impact of the project "by drilling in sensitive habitats, thus limiting the impact on birds and other threatened species".

"The underground construction of SOO Green and the use of an existing railway right-of-way will also limit impacts on neighboring landowners," the company said in a press release.

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This model is similar to the model used to build the US fiber optic system, said Direct Connect.

After being struck by landowner opposition, Rock Island Clean Line canceled in 2016 its plans to build a $ 500 billion airlift line that would have channeled oil and gas. wind power in 16 counties from northwestern Iowa to Illinois and more states to the east.

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Even with additional transmission lines under construction, more capacity will be needed, said Kerri Johannsen, director of the Iowa Environmental Council's energy program.

When the new transmission lines are completed, they "will already be at full capacity to carry out existing and proposed renewable energy projects on the market," said Johannsen. "Once again, we are faced with the need to strengthen our transmission system."

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Direct Connect said Monday that the construction of the underground high voltage line and along the railroads "would create a market segment that does not exist today."

"SOO Green will serve as the hub of renewable energy by connecting two of the major markets for electrical power in the United States – MISO and PJM," the company said. "This creates an ideal location for a large number of renewable energy buyers and sellers to be able to make standard transactions."

The company said its main investors were Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, Jingoli Power and Siemens Financial Services.

Siemens would be responsible for the overall system design, engineering, manufacturing, civil works, installation and commissioning of the high-voltage transmission line.

Read or share this story: https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/money/business/2019/03/11/underground-transmission-line-would-tould-wind-power-iowa-chicago/3128357002/