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Westar Energy, Inc.: Prairie Wind Transmission, ITC Great Plains Reach Agreement on Construction of Extra-High Capacity Transmi

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^{Published in Business and Finance on Monday, June 1st 2009 at 11:22 GMT, Last Modified on 2009-06-01 11:23:36 by Market Wire}  

TOPEKA, KS--(Marketwire - June 1, 2009) - Prairie Wind Transmission, LLC today announced an agreement with ITC Great Plains, LLC, Sunflower Electric Power Corporation and Mid-Kansas Electric Company regarding the segments of a proposed 765-kilovolt (kV) transmission project each company will construct in Kansas. The effectiveness of the agreement is contingent on approval by the Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC). The agreed to project will span from the Wichita area into western Kansas and will be the first extra-high voltage transmission lines west of the Mississippi River.

Under the agreement, Prairie Wind Transmission will be responsible for constructing a new 765/345-kV substation near Wichita, KS; a new 765/345-kV substation northeast of Medicine Lodge, KS, near the new Flat Ridge Wind Farm jointly owned by Westar Energy and BP Alternative; and a 765-kV transmission line to connect the two new substations. Prairie Wind also will be responsible for constructing a 765-kV line south to the Oklahoma border.

ITC Great Plains will be responsible for constructing a 345/138-kV substation next to Prairie Wind's new substation near Medicine Lodge; a new 765/345-kV substation in Comanche County, KS; a new 765/345-kV substation near Spearville, KS; a new 765-kV line from the Medicine Lodge substation to the Comanche County substation; and a new 765-kV line from the Comanche County substation to the new Spearville substation.

The project is consistent with plans to enhance access to lower-cost electric power markets, improve efficiency of the electric grid, improve reliability, and enable development of renewable energy.

"We want to thank Governor Parkinson for his support and encouragement in settlement negotiations. The KCC staff and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission mediator Rick Miles also provided important assistance in achieving this settlement. This is a key step in the development of the interstate transmission highway in the Southwest Power Pool region," said Kelly Harrison, president, Prairie Wind Transmission and vice president, transmission operations and environmental services, Westar Energy. "The completion of this project will provide enormous benefits to Kansas and the region including additional jobs, enabling the development of renewable wind energy, avoiding some generation costs and improving the efficiency of transmitting electricity."

Prairie Wind Transmission and ITC Great Plains previously had submitted separate proposals to build 765-kV transmission lines from the Wichita area to western Kansas.

Before the project can move forward, Prairie Wind must receive all necessary regulatory and Southwest Power Pool (SPP) approvals, including regional funding. Upon receiving regulatory and SPP approval, Prairie Wind Transmission will proceed with a line siting application at the KCC. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) unanimously approved Prairie Wind Transmission's request for key rate components for the project in December 2008.

Prairie Wind Transmission is a joint venture between Westar Energy, Inc. (NYSE: [ WR ]) and Electric Transmission America (ETA).

Electric Transmission America is a joint venture between subsidiaries of American Electric Power and MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company to build and own electric transmission assets. The joint venture is a 50-50 partnership to identify and invest in high-voltage transmission projects (345-kilovolt or higher) located in North America outside of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT). The two companies have an existing joint venture agreement to build transmission in ERCOT. ETA's current joint venture projects include Prairie Wind Transmission in Kansas and Tallgrass Transmission in Oklahoma.

For more information about Prairie Wind Transmission, please visit the Web site at [ http://www.prairiewindtransmission.com/ ].

Westar Energy, Inc. (NYSE: [ WR ]) is the largest electric utility in Kansas, providing electric service to about 679,000 customers in the state. Westar Energy has about 6,800 megawatts of electric generation capacity and operates and coordinates approximately 35,000 miles of electric distribution and transmission lines. For more information about Westar Energy, visit [ http://www.WestarEnergy.com ].

Electric Transmission America is a joint venture between subsidiaries of American Electric Power and MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company to build and own electric transmission assets. The joint venture is a 50-50 partnership to identify and invest in high-voltage transmission projects (345-kilovolt or higher) located in North America outside of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT). The two companies have an existing joint venture agreement to build transmission in ERCOT. ETA's current joint venture projects include Prairie Wind Transmission in Kansas and Tallgrass Transmission in Oklahoma. AEP, headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, is one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, delivering electricity to more than 5 million customers in 11 states. MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company ([ www.midamerican.com ]), based in Des Moines, Iowa, is a global provider of energy services to more than 6.9 million customers worldwide. AEP ([ www.aep.com ]) has extensive experience building extra-high-voltage 765-kV transmission lines and owns the nation's largest electricity transmission system, a nearly 39,000-mile network that includes 2,100 miles of 765-kV transmission lines, more than all other U.S. transmission systems combined. MidAmerican is among the largest transmission owners in the country. For more information visit [ http://www.electrictransmissionamerica.com/ ].