Kansas City, Mo. ? A Houston company says its planned power line across Kansas will spur wind farm development and establish the state as a national leader in clean energy production.

Kansas regulators on Wednesday approved an application from Clean Line Energy Partners to do business in the state as a public utility. Clean Line plans to build a 700-mile transmission line, dubbed the Grain Belt Express, to move electricity to population centers in eastern Missouri and Illinois.

Company officials say a shortage in transmission capability has prevented some proposed Kansas wind farms from being developed.

The roughly $2 billion project will be privately funded and rely on fees from wind farms and those who purchase the energy. Officials say there will be no cost to Kansas taxpayers or ratepayers.