Little Rock, ARK. - Today Plains & Eastern Clean Line LLC, an affiliate of Clean Line Energy Partners, of Houston, Texas, filed an application with the Arkansas Public Service Commission to become a public utility in ARkansas. This Filing is an essential part of the development of the Plains & Eastern Clean Line transmission project. The company plans to file a similar application in Oklahoma in the coming months.

The Plains & Eastern Clean Line will consist of approximately 800 miles of overhead, high voltage, direct current (HVDC) transmission line, which will be capable of transmitting up to 7,000 megawatts of electricity. Running from the Oklahoma Panhandle to the southeastern U.S., the project, when built, will make possible the construction of billions of dollars of new wind energy generation. The investments cannot be made today because there is not enough transmission. The Plains & Eastern Clean Line is an important investment in the region's electric infrastructure.

Clean line president Michael Skelly said, "There is a tremendous untapped renewable energy resource in the Great Plains but the infrastructure to move the electricity from the resource areas to consumers in the mid-south and southeast regions is insufficient. This transmission line will provide a solution to that problem and will enable utilities in Arkansas and the Southeast to provide their customers with access to the most affordable clean energy available."

Maria Haley, executive director of the Arkansas Economic Development Commision, has long been a supporter of the wind industry and during her tenure has seen several major wind energy manufacturers locate in the state, bringing new jobs and facilitating economic growth. "Renewable energy represents one of the greates economic development opportunites for Arkansas. We are recognized as a national hub for the wind manufacturing industry and strongly support nrenewable energy projects," said Haley.

Skelly indicated that, in addition to providing utilities with affordable access to renewable energy, the development of the wind energy transmission line will provide economic development benefits while addressing the nation's ongoing efforts to increase energy security. The transmission project not only increases the region's attractiveness to manufacturers, but also contributes local tax revenue for communities to use for schools and other local needs.

The project is in the early stages of development, and is expected to take five to seven years to complete and cost approximately $3.5 billion. Clean Line expects to fund all development costs and does not plan to seek cost recovery through the electric rates paid by consumers in the state. Once built, the project will enable an additional $12 billion in investments in new wind projects which today cannot be built because of lack of transmission. These projects could power over 2.1 million in American homes.