A proposed new transmission line running from Orient (IA) to Denny (MO) to Fairport (MO), north of Maysville, would run through the eastern half of Worth County somewhere between Grant City and Allendale.
The Midcontinent Independent System Operator, which handles regional energy for the area, has determined that they need more power to the portion of the national grid that they manage. MISO is responsible for planning new transmission lines. They serve part of Missouri and 15 other states. In order to meet demand growth and to prevent blackouts like what have happened recently in California and Texas, they have decided that they need a new transmission line by 2030. In July 2022, MISO’s board approved the Orient-Denny-Fairport project.
MISO does not own transmission or distribution infrastructure, but is entrusted by the entities that own the infrastructure to manage it. Their task is to match electricity generation with electricity consumption.
NextEra Energy, based in Virginia, is bidding to build the Missouri portion of the transmission line. Mid-American has already gotten the Iowa portion of the line and will build the line to the Missouri border. On Wednesday, Stantec, a Virginia-based Company contracting for Next Era, conducted a town hall regarding the proposed transmission lines at Hundley-Whaley in Albany with Worth and Gentry County landowners. They have begun the process of contacting landowners. Landowners may be contacted by other companies seeking to build the Missouri portion of the transmission line between now and May.
The proposed transmission line is a 102 mile long project consisting of 345 KV transmission lines that will connect the Denny substation to Associated Electric Cooperative’s Fairport substation. The Iowa portion will be owned and operated by Mid-American, while NextEra would own the Missouri portion.
The lines would have a 150 foot easement for lines. Farmers would be allowed to graze their cattle on the easement portion as well as raise their crops. Existing fences would not have to be moved. They cannot build buildings or plant trees within the 150 foot easement area. Under the easement rules, NextEra personnel would have access to the land for the purpose of maintaining their lines. The transmission lines would be 120 feet tall. There would also be a fiber line running three feet deep parallel to the power lines. It would not be used to hook up to the Internet, but it would only be used for the utility’s private use.
Farms may be sold by landowners after an easement is signed, but the easement would still exist for the new landowner. Who would receive the easement payments would be between the buyer and the seller.
Bids are due by May 2023. In October 2023, the MISO board will award the project. After that, the project will be subject to regulatory approvals, which must be obtained before construction can begin. The target date for completion of the project is June 2030.
Environmental and cultural factors have to be considered as well as homes and farms. In the last 20 years, Bald Eagles have made a comeback in the area in the last 20 years, and nests have to be taken into consideration. During nesting season, which runs from May to July, construction cannot come within 500-600 feet of a Bald Eagle nest.
Dan Blaha of Stantec gave an hour long presentation Wednesday morning, answering questions from landowners from Worth and Gentry Counties regarding the logistics of the project.
While the project itself has nothing to do with wind or solar power, Mr. Blaha said wind or solar farms could input their power into the line. The poles would be directly embedded into the ground. There is a 900 to 1000 distance between each utility pole.
Currently, NextGen is in the process of offering landowners $3,000 per parcel and $2,000 for the first year for an easement option. Landowners would get an option payment of $2,000 each year for up to six years until awarded. Crops or hay fields that are damaged during construction will be compensated for. If NextGen does not get the bid, the money will be the landowner’s to keep. Stantec is in the process of contacting 150 landowners with land along the lines.
NextGen would pay local property taxes for the power lines. Since they are a state assessed utility, the state would tell local assessors how to assess the lines.
If people don’t sign the easement option, then Stantec and/or NextGen will come back and negotiate at a later date. As a last resort, eminent domain could be used. In the last few years, following construction of the Grain Belt Express line, there was a lot of talk in the Missouri Legislature about banning eminent domain by private entities. However, a compromise proposal signed by Governor Mike Parson that was endorsed by both farm organizations and Invenergy, the company pushing the Grain Belt Express, required that landowners be paid 150% of fair market value for land taken through eminent domain for electrical transmission projects.
The law signed by Governor Parson last year also requires that developers start construction within seven years of getting easements or lose their rights to the property. A court appointed commission would determine fair market value of a farmer’s land during eminent domain proceedings; the commission must include a farmer who has lived in the area for at least a decade. An amount of power proportional to the length of the line must be made available to residents.
