Germany 's Siemens and Danish investment fund Copenhagen energy Partners have backed Direct Connect Development 's $ 2.5bn , 000 GW SOO Green Renewable Rail project . It plans to run an underground direct transmission line from Mason City in 2020 , where the large number of wind farms has pushed prices down , to a substation in Illinois . Despite using an existing railroad right - of - way to reduce disruption , Direct Connect could still be denied the requisite permits , preventing it from reaching its scheduled 2025 completion date .
Germany's Siemens and Danish renewables fund Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners have backed Direct Connect Development's $2.5bn, 2.1 GW SOO Green Renewable Rail project. It plans to run an underground direct transmission line from Mason City in Iowa, where the large number of wind farms has pushed prices down, to a substation in Illinois. Despite using an existing railroad right-of-way to minimise disruption, Direct Connect could still be denied the requisite permits, preventing it from hitting its scheduled 2025 completion date.