Back in 2016, more than 6,000 Mississippi residents received letters alerting them of a proposed high voltage direct current transmission line that would cross through their properties.
Southern Cross Transmission, a subsidiary of Pattern Energy Group, hosted public meetings in the Golden Triangle to inform residents how the project could impact properties in Lowndes, Oktibbeha and Clay counties.
The proposed 400-mile transmission line was planned to link wind energy in Texas to the transmission grids and customers in the Southeast, with roughly half of it at the time crossing through Mississippi for a total investment of about $700 million.
What happened to the project? Is the Golden Triangle still included in the route? How will the transmission line impact energy in the region?
What happened?
At the time Southern Cross Transmission was hosting public meetings in the Golden Triangle, the proposed route for the transmission line began in Texas, crossed through Louisiana, entered the region through Oktibbeha County and crossed through Clay before terminating with a $300 million converter station in Lowndes County.
After collecting public input in 2016, Southern Cross Transmission began modifying, analyzing and updating the potential routes for the project. The routes were submitted for the Public Service Commission’s approval, but the project was delayed due to market conditions, Pattern Energy’s website said.
In 2021, the project was reinitiated and renamed Southern Spirit Transmission, and the company began reconsidering routes for the line.
Denton Gibbs, spokesperson for Pattern Energy, said the route that previously included the Golden Triangle was ultimately altered, with the Public Service Commission being notified of the change in April 2023.
“As part of Southern Spirit Transmission’s development process, a portion of the planned route was revised in 2023 to account for a range of factors, including market conditions and technical studies,” Gibbs wrote in a statement sent to The Dispatch on Friday.
Gibbs also said landowners who would have been impacted by the route were notified of the change.
Will the transmission line still be built?
Southern Spirit Transmission is currently still underway, with construction targeted to be completed by 2029. The transmission aims to be in service by 2032, according to Pattern Energy’s website. Though some aspects of the project have changed since the Golden Triangle was included in the planning.
The now 320-mile, 3,000 megawatt HVDC transmission line still aims to “create a backbone” between Texas and Southeastern transmission grids, but now the line will end with a converter station in Choctaw County rather than in Lowndes, the website said.
Will the Golden Triangle still be impacted by the project?
Southern Spirit is slated to pass through seven counties before ending in Choctaw County. Pattern Energy estimates those counties will see more than $138 million in earnings during construction and operations. The rest of the state is estimated to see an additional $9.7 million in total earnings.
The primary goal of the line is to address demand of the Texas and Southeastern grids by increasing access to existing supply in both regions through interconnection. During major weather events or other periods of high energy demand, the transmission would have the capacity to shift power in either direction along the line to relieve stress on the grids and prevent outages, according to Pattern Energy.
While the line will no longer extend to the Golden Triangle, Gibbs said the region would still reap the benefits of the transmission line by way of increased grid reliability.
“We will continue to transparently engage with landowners and stakeholders as project development advances, and we look forward to delivering significant economic benefits to Mississippi and markets in the Southeast,” he wrote.
McRae is a general assignment and education reporter for The Dispatch.
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 35 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
