The Brattle Group Assists Grain Belt Express in Open Solicitation Process to Offer HVDC Transmission Line Capacity Delivering to MISO/AECI
Grain Belt Express LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Invenergy Transmission LLC, today announced the launch of an Open Solicitation process to allocate up to 800 megawatts (MW) of transmission capacity on Phase 1 of the Grain Belt Express HVDC transmission line. The Brattle Group will oversee the process as the Independent Solicitation Manager.
Connecting four states and four grid regions across 800 miles, Grain Belt Express will carry affordable, reliable power to homes and businesses in the Midwest and other regions. The 5,000-megawatt interregional infrastructure project will be built in two phases to enable the delivery of energy resources located in Kansas in the Southwest Power Pool (SPP).
Grain Belt Express Phase 1 will enable the delivery of up to 2,500 MW to the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) and Associated Electric Cooperative Incorporated (AECI) grid regions via interconnection points in northeast Missouri. Phase 2 will deliver an additional 2,500 MW to the PJM Interconnection (PJM) grid region. Phase 1 construction is expected to begin in 2025 and commence operation in the first quarter of 2029.
Grain Belt Express LLC is targeting up to 800 MW of transmission rights for Phase 1 through the Open Solicitation. The Open Solicitation process will operate in accordance with the project’s Negotiated Rate Authority approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on February 29, 2024. More details on the Grain Belt Express project and the Open Solicitation process, including an Information Memorandum, are available at http://www.os-grainbeltexpress.com/.
Through the Open Solicitation process, Grain Belt Express LLC intends to negotiate contracts with qualified parties for firm transmission rights at negotiated rates. Interested parties must submit a non-binding Expression of Interest on the website by 5 p.m. Eastern Time on April 12, 2024. Grain Belt Express LLC and The Brattle Group will finalize the list of parties for bilateral negotiations by April 26, 2024. Grain Belt Express LLC will only consider applications seeking a minimum of 200 MW of transmission rights.
Questions from interested parties can be directed to The Brattle Group via the open solicitation website or by emailing ism-grainbeltexpress-os@brattle.com. The firm has extensive experience in designing, managing, and evaluating auction and solicitation processes, as well as providing strategic bidding advice to stakeholders in the electric power and telecommunications sectors.
