"A first-of-its-kind transmission line proposed to help move Midwest wind energy east to the nation's largest electricity market was designed to avoid pitfalls that dog similar projects.

Instead of building a network of steel lattice towers and overhead wires, developers behind the 350-mile Soo Green HVDC Link would bury underground a pair of cylindrical cables about the diameter of wine bottles.

The route would mostly follow an existing Canadian Pacific Railway corridor from Mason City, Iowa, to just west of Chicago, avoiding eminent domain battles with landowners. The project, which is partially backed by Siemens AG, will be capable of moving 2,100 megawatts of electricity, enough to light about 2 million homes."

Jeffrey Tomich reports for E&E News March 25, 2021. [2]