The Grain Belt Express, a $11B HVDC transmission line project spanning four states, will boost grid capacity by 5,000 megawatts, strengthen energy reliability, and support economic development through 4,000 jobs and local sourcing.
Backed by Invenergy and major contractors like Quanta and Kiewit, the project aims to modernize critical U.S. energy infrastructure and address increasing electricity demand from manufacturing, data centers, and regional grid stress.
With long-term energy cost savings projected at $52 billion, the GBX project secures public and private investment, supply chain expansion, and commitments from utilities and manufacturers to reshape the American energy landscape.
Contractors will begin work in 2026 on an $11-billion, 800-mile-long transmission line that will eventually span Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana and add 5,000 megawatts of delivery capacity.
The energy superhighway, dubbed the Grain Belt Express (GBX), is the biggest private-sector-led transmission project in U.S. history. Quanta Services and Kiewit Energy Group were recently awarded a $1.7-billion contract for the project’s first phase, creating 4,000 jobs.
The 600-kilovolt high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission line will deliver power via the grid to the four states. It is expected to take three years to complete and be operational in 2029.
The latest HVDC technology will permit power to be precisely controlled to flow both eastward and westward. This is especially important when emergency conditions arise and grid operators rely on imported supply from other regions to meet power needs.
The project is critical to the American Midwest. Investment in the power grid hasn’t kept pace with growing energy demand, and regions have been affected by reliability and affordability concerns. GBX will connect to the local utility or co-op serving homes and businesses in the four states.
As electricity demand increases due to data centers and manufacturing, the line will strengthen grid security and enhance reliability by enabling deliverability for new-build generation and over eight gigawatts of existing generation near the line’s connections with multiple regional grids.
Phase one of the commercial construction project will connect Kansas and Missouri and create more than 4,000 jobs.
Invenergy, North America’s largest privately held renewable power generation and operations company, is building the line. The company develops, builds, owns, and operates wind, solar, and natural gas power generation and energy storage projects in the Americas, Europe, and Asia.
“Critical energy infrastructure projects like Grain Belt Express represent a direct investment in America, our economy, and the domestic supply chain,” says Shashank Sane, Invenergy’s executive vice-president for transmission. “Our partnership with Prysmian only furthers our commitment to the U.S. manufacturing workforce, a stronger grid, and American energy independence.”
All four states have approved the line as a project in the public interest. More than $105 million in executed easement agreements are in effect, including $19 million already paid to landowners and an additional $86 million due at construction.
By unlocking market efficiencies, GBX will provide Americans with $52 billion in energy cost savings over 15 years.
Quanta and Kiewit will source raw materials locally in Kansas and Missouri when possible, including concrete, aggregate, civil materials, conduit, and piping. The main construction, engineering, and procurement offices for the first phase of GBX will be based in Overland Park and Lenexa, Kansas.
The project has already resulted in supply chain investments and commercial commitments from many suppliers and manufacturers.
Prysmian North America has signed a supply-chain agreement with Invenergy for 12,500 miles of overhead conductors. The deal supports a 50,000-square-foot factory expansion nearing completion in Williamsport, Pa., that is set to double U.S. manufacturing capacity for certain conductors. Prysmian already supports more than 430 jobs across Pennsylvania and 270 at Williamsport.
Hubbell has signed an equipment supply and manufacturing deal for insulators and transmission assemblies that will support jobs at the company’s operations in Centralia, Mo., Leeds, Ala., and Aiken, S.C.
Meanwhile, Siemens Energy has signed a supply agreement for the HVDC transmission technology. During phase one of the project, Siemens will support the engineering, procurement, construction, and final integrated design of HVDC converter stations in Kansas and Missouri.
Missouri Public Utility Alliance has agreed to transmission service agreements that will allow 39 Missouri municipal utilities to access contractual energy cost savings.
“Grain Belt Express is an important project that supports the country’s energy dominance priority, manufacturing reshoring, mission to lead the world in artificial intelligence, and secure our grid,” says Quanta Services president and CEO Duke Austin. “The entire Quanta team, including those at our Infrastructure Solutions Group in Kansas City, is ready and looks forward to helping modernize our electric infrastructure and bring much-needed relief to energy consumers across the Midwest.”
Kiewit Energy Group executive VP Chad Jessen says the company is pleased to be an integral part of the GBX project.
“Our extensive EPC experience with complex power delivery projects suits us well, especially using this HVDC technology to connect grid regions to help reliably meet growing energy demand.”
About ConstructConnect
At ConstructConnect, our software solutions provide the information that construction professionals need to start every project on a solid foundation. For more than 100 years, our keen insights and market intelligence have empowered commercial firms, building product manufacturers, trade contractors, and architects to make data-driven decisions, streamline preconstruction workflows, and maximize their productivity. Our newest offerings—including our comprehensive, AI-assisted software—help our clients find, bid on, and win more projects.
ConstructConnect operates as a business unit of Roper Technologies (Nasdaq: ROP), a constituent of the Nasdaq 100, S&P 500, and Fortune 1000.
For more information, visit constructconnect.com