A Houston company that plans to build a $2 billion transmission line from Oklahoma to Tennessee has gained approval from state regulators to extend the line into Memphis.
Clean Line Energy Partners LLC said Tuesday the approval by Tennessee Regulatory Authority moves the company one step closer toward erecting a 700-mile line to bring wind energy from the plains of Texas and Oklahoma to the hills of the Tennessee Valley.
Construction may begin as soon as next year and the 3,500-megawatt line could be in operation as soon as 2018 if developers gain required regulatory approval and utilities agree to buy the wind-generated power the line will carry.
Before construction of the direct-current power line may begin, however, the privately owned transmission company must still gain approval from the U.S. Department of Energy for the Southwestern Power Administration to participate in the project proposed by Clean Line Energy. Arkansas regulators have raised concerns about the high-voltage electric line being built through their state, but Clean Line could build the line with regulatory approval from DOE to operate as a utility in the public interest.
Michael Skelly, president of Clean Line Energy, said the project would deliver clean, renewable energy to the Southeast and help diversify utilities’ portfolios.