Community Benefits Snapshot: SOO Green Transmission Line Community Engagement and Benefits

The SOO Green HVDC Link is a 350-mile, 2,100-MW underground transmission line connecting wind energy from MISO jurisdiction states to the PJM market. By co-locating the line within existing railroad rights of way and utilizing undergrounding, the project has significantly reduced community opposition and simplified siting. The developer has implemented a variety of benefits, including 'good neighbor payments' to adjacent landowners, municipal franchise agreements that fund local infrastructure like broadband expansion, and apprenticeship programs for underserved youth. While the project faces skepticism regarding the higher upfront costs of undergrounding compared to overhead lines, the developer argues that lifecycle costs are competitive, particularly when accounting for extreme weather resilience and reduced siting delays.

• The SOO Green HVDC Link is a 350-mile, 2,100-MW, 525-kV underground line running from Mason City, Iowa to Yorkville, Illinois, designed to connect wind energy from MISO jurisdiction states with the PJM market. It is expected to be operational in the early 2030s and will be the longest underground HVDC line in the United States.
• Undergrounding the line along existing transportation rights of way, specifically the Canadian Pacific (CP) corridor, has minimized local opposition and facilitated easier siting. The Iowa Utilities Board used the burial of the line to dismiss safety concerns and satisfy franchise criteria.
• The project provides several legally required and voluntary financial benefits: Iowa is estimated to receive $1.5 million in annual taxes (based on $7,000 per pole-mile), while in Illinois, the developer plans to negotiate $14 million in payments in lieu of taxes over the first 20 years. Additionally, 'good neighbor payments' are provided to landowners whose property abuts the railroad right of way.
• Through municipal franchise negotiations, SOO Green has committed to funding and constructing community-identified infrastructure projects within railroad rights of way, such as fiber optic cable conduit bundles and junction boxes for broadband expansion in cities like Dubuque and Mason City.
• To support local workforce development, the project has implemented the 'Competitive Edge' and 'Hire360' apprenticeship programs, which aim to create construction jobs for underserved youth in collaboration with local community colleges and economic development authorities.
• There is significant uncertainty among local tax authorities regarding the project's tax impacts. This is attributed to the 'replacement' nature of transmission taxes in Iowa, which are not based on the line's assessed value, and a lack of clear definitions for how county tax revenues are allocated to local districts.
• The project faces skepticism due to the high cost of undergrounding, which is typically two to four times more expensive than overhead HVDC lines. While policy analysts worry about cost overruns affecting the price of RECs for Illinois consumers, the developer claims lifecycle costs are competitive when considering extreme weather and reduced siting costs.

APA

World Resources Institute (2025). Community Benefits Snapshot: SOO Green Transmission Line Community Engagement and Benefits. https://www.wri.org/snapshots/community-benefits-snapshots-soo-green-transmission-line-community-engagement

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Community Benefits Snapshot: SOO Green Transmission Line Community Engagement and Benefits. 2025. https://www.wri.org/snapshots/community-benefits-snapshots-soo-green-transmission-line-community-engagement.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Community Benefits Snapshot: SOO Green Transmission Line Community Engagement and Benefits |date=9 January 2025 |url=https://www.wri.org/snapshots/community-benefits-snapshots-soo-green-transmission-line-community-engagement |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitute2025community, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Community Benefits Snapshot: SOO Green Transmission Line Community Engagement and Benefits}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2025}, month = jan, url = {https://www.wri.org/snapshots/community-benefits-snapshots-soo-green-transmission-line-community-engagement}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }