The United States Department of Energy (DOE) has announced that its Loan Programs Office has terminated the conditional loan commitment for Phase 1 of the Grain Belt Express project. The high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission line was intended to connect wind and solar generation across Kansas and Missouri.
The conditional commitment, issued in November 2024 under the Biden administration, included a proposed loan guarantee of up to US\$4.9 billion. The DOE concluded that the conditions required to finalise the guarantee are unlikely to be met and that federal support for the project is no longer considered essential.
The DOE is currently reviewing all applicants and borrowers, including nearly US\$100 billion in closed loans and conditional commitments made between the 2024 election and the 2025 inauguration.
