New Power Lines for LEAP: What It Means for Boone County

As Eli Lilly and Meta develop their campuses in Boone County, the electricity network serving the area needs to grow, too. A recent state decision moves part of that work forward – and gives the company behind it the ability to use eminent domain to secure necessary property rights.

On September 30, Indiana utility regulators approved the ownership arrangement for three power line projects already under development. Two will help meet electricity demand associated with the LEAP Innovation District. The decision also allows Wabash Valley Transmission Company to operate as a public utility. [State order]

More electricity means more infrastructure

Large manufacturing facilities and data centers need substantial amounts of power. Meeting that demand requires transmission lines – the large, high-voltage lines that carry electricity across longer distances.

Two of the projects will add capacity to serve growing demand in Boone County, largely connected to Lilly’s manufacturing complex and Meta’s data center. The third will connect the St. Joseph Energy Center, a natural gas power plant in northern Indiana, to the Midwest’s MISO electricity grid. It currently connects to the PJM grid, which primarily serves states farther east.

Together, the three projects include approximately 100 miles of new power lines. That total covers all three projects, not just the work serving LEAP. [Project details]

Who is behind the projects?

Wabash Valley Transmission is a joint venture between Wabash Valley Power Alliance, a nonprofit electric cooperative, and Viridon Midcontinent, a Chicago-based energy developer backed by private equity firm Blackstone.

The partners say the arrangement will make it easier to finance needed power lines while allowing the cooperative to preserve money and borrowing capacity for other investments. Their position is that the lines must be built to meet demand regardless of who owns them. [Ownership and financing details]

What does this mean for property owners?

The approval includes eminent-domain authority. If the company cannot reach a voluntary agreement with a landowner, it can pursue a court process to acquire property rights needed for the lines, including easements allowing lines to cross private land.

The approval does not automatically transfer anyone’s property. The company must first negotiate in good faith, and landowners have protections through the courts, including the right to raise objections and receive just compensation. [Landowner protections]

The company argued that without this authority, one owner refusing an easement could prevent an entire transmission project from being completed. Regulators agreed that the authority was necessary and that existing law provided protections for landowners.

Why did the consumer watchdog object?

The Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor, which represents utility consumers, raised concerns about both property rights and financial oversight.

One concern was what would happen if Viridon left the partnership. The agency warned that cooperative customers could face higher rates if Wabash Valley Power Alliance had to finish the projects on its own.

It also objected to allowing eminent domain while limiting certain state oversight of the company. The company disputed those concerns, pointing to federal regulation and its access to financing. [Concerns and company response]

Regulators ultimately approved the arrangement. They found that the need for the projects, federal oversight and access to capital made abandonment unlikely. The state will step back from certain financial and business approvals, while federal regulation and some state requirements remain in place. [Regulatory decision]

What residents should watch next

For people around Lebanon and Boone County, the practical questions are where the lines will go, which properties they will cross, when construction will happen and how project costs will affect electricity customers.

This decision addresses who will own and operate the infrastructure and the authority that company can use. It is another step in supplying LEAP’s growing power needs – and a reminder that the changes supporting the district can extend well beyond the campuses themselves.