A renewable energy company proposing a large-scale wind project in Kiowa and Bent counties is preparing to formally introduce itself and the project to the community.
Linea Energy is developing Shortgrass Energy, a proposed wind energy project beginning approximately 5.5 miles southwest of Eads and extending into portions of Kiowa and Bent counties. The project is being designed with a generating capacity of up to 800 megawatts.
While many of the details that will ultimately define the project — including its total acreage, number and height of turbines and projected local economic impact — have not yet been released, Linea has begun working with participating landowners and county officials as it moves toward the local permitting process.
The company will host its first Shortgrass Energy open house Thursday, Sept. 10, from 3 to 7:30 p.m. at its local project office at the corner of Maine Street and East 15th Street in Eads.
Linea representatives also plan to attend the Kiowa County Fair and Rodeo, giving residents another opportunity to meet the people working on the project.
Who is Linea Energy?
Linea Energy is a U.S.-based independent power producer headquartered in San Francisco that develops, owns and operates wind, solar and battery energy storage projects.
The company is backed by EnCap Investments through its Energy Transition business, which provides capital for the development, construction and ownership of energy projects.
According to Linea, members of its team have collectively brought more than 14 gigawatts of solar, wind and battery storage projects into operation. The company says it currently has approximately 6 gigawatts of projects in late-stage development and another 1 gigawatt either under construction or expected to enter construction this year.
Linea’s existing portfolio includes projects in several parts of the country.
Its Watertown Solar project in Michigan is a 172-megawatt solar development currently under construction. Linea has secured a 25-year power purchase agreement with Consumers Energy for that project and estimates it will support approximately 150 construction jobs and generate $16.4 million in local property tax revenue over 20 years.
In Texas, Linea has entered into a 15-year agreement with Google for 500 megawatts of power from its Duffy Solar project in Matagorda County. The company is also constructing a 235-megawatt battery energy storage project at the same location.
While Linea is developing projects across the country, Shortgrass would bring the company’s work directly into southeastern Colorado.
What We Know About Shortgrass
Shortgrass Energy is currently proposed as an up-to-800-megawatt wind project located on participating private property in Kiowa and Bent counties.
Linea Associate of Development Bella Alvarado said participating landowners have played an important role as development has moved forward.
“Our landowners are the foundation of our project,” Linea said in information provided to the Kiowa County Independent. “We have learned a lot from our time in the community.”
The company has already taken some preliminary steps locally.
On June 25, the Kiowa County Board of Commissioners approved a meteorological conditional use permit, or MET CUP, for Shortgrass Energy. Meteorological equipment is commonly used during wind project development to collect information such as wind speed and direction before final project design and construction.
The permit should not be confused with approval of the wind project itself.
Linea has also held a pre-application meeting with Kiowa County staff regarding Shortgrass. Following feedback from county officials, the company says it is now preparing a full application under Kiowa County’s 1041 regulations, which it plans to submit later this fall.
Colorado’s 1041 laws allow local governments to regulate certain developments considered matters of state interest, including some major utility infrastructure. Kiowa County’s process provides an avenue for commissioners and county staff to review a project’s potential impacts and establish conditions before determining whether a permit should be approved.
Shortgrass Energy has not received a 1041 permit, and the larger wind project has not been approved.
Linea representatives were familiar with Kiowa County’s 1041 process before Shortgrass reached this stage. Alvarado and Linea representative Brad Wilson attended the county’s Sept. 9, 2025 public hearing when commissioners adopted revisions to Kiowa County’s 1041 regulations.
Looking Toward 2030
If the project receives the necessary approvals and remains on schedule, Linea currently anticipates beginning construction in early 2029, with Shortgrass becoming operational in 2030.
The company says the project would connect to the Xcel Energy transmission system in Kiowa County. More specific information about the proposed transmission connection has not yet been provided publicly.
Another component of the preliminary design is intended to address one of the most visible features of wind development at night.
Linea says Shortgrass is intended to include an Aircraft Detection Lighting System, or ADLS, subject to Federal Aviation Administration approval.
The system would monitor airspace around the project and activate turbine obstruction lights when aircraft enter a designated area rather than having the lights continuously operate throughout the night. The lights would shut back off after the aircraft leaves the area.
The technology is designed to maintain aviation safety while reducing the amount of time turbine lights are visible from surrounding communities.
Questions Still to Be Answered
At 800 megawatts, Shortgrass would represent a substantial energy development for Kiowa and Bent counties, but the project remains early enough in the process that several important details are not yet publicly available.
Those include the project’s total acreage, how much of that acreage would be located in each county, the anticipated number and maximum height of turbines, the number of participating landowners and the project’s more precise layout.
Economic information will also be important as the proposal moves forward, including projected property tax revenue for Kiowa County and local taxing districts, the number of temporary construction and permanent jobs, road-use obligations and other potential community benefits.
Those details are expected to become clearer as Linea completes its project design and submits its formal 1041 application.
For now, the Sept. 10 open house will give residents an opportunity to meet Linea representatives, learn more about what is being proposed and begin asking questions directly.
The open house will be held from 3 to 7:30 p.m. Sept. 10 at the Shortgrass Energy office at the corner of Maine Street and East 15th Street in Eads.
The Kiowa County Independent will continue following Shortgrass Energy as additional project details become available and as the proposal moves through Kiowa County’s public review process.
