The company would now operate the 138 kilovolt (kV) Flat Ridge Substation located in Barber County, near the Flat Ridge Wind Farm development and the 230kV Elm Creek Substation located in Cloud County, near the Meridian Way Wind Farm development in Kansas.
Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC) has approved the acquisition and allowed ITC Great Plains to participate in the Southwest Power Pool (SPP) as a transmission owner. SPP is the regional transmission organization that oversees the electric transmission grid and wholesale power markets in eight southwestern states, including Kansas.
This acquisition, along with future ITC Great Plains projects, will address challenges in Kansas, including the lack of transmission capacity between the western and eastern areas of the state and the absence of an energy grid capable of supporting significant development of wind energy.
Carl Huslig, president of ITC Great Plains, said: “Mid-Kansas has been supportive throughout this process, and we thank the KCC for acting on this matter. ITC Great Plains is well positioned to continue developing transmission solutions for the state that facilitate renewable energy and address current system capacity constraints.”
In July 2009, the company had received approval from the KCC on the proposed route for phase one of the KETA line, running from Spearville to a substation near Hays, Kansas. ITC Great Plains has also commenced work on phase two of the KETA line. The KETA project is a 215-mile 345-kilovolt line running from Spearville and interconnecting at Axtell, Nebraska.
