Business & Finance
Business and Finance
Business and Finance
Mon, July 27, 2009
Sun, July 26, 2009
Fri, July 24, 2009 Westar Energy, Inc.: Kansas Corporation Commission Approves Phase II Agreement Between Prairie Wind Transmission and ITC Great
TOPEKA, KS--(Marketwire - July 24, 2009) - At a hearing today, the Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC) approved a Stipulation and Agreement reached between Prairie Wind Transmission and ITC Great Plains in Phase II of their applications for the right to construct extra high-capacity 765 kV transmission lines going west from Wichita to Spearville and south to the Kansas/Oklahoma border. The project comprises the first 765 kV transmission lines west of the Mississippi River.
"We commend the Kansas Corporation Commission for today's decision," said Kelly Harrison, president, Prairie Wind Transmission. "It paves the way for continued progress in securing project and siting approvals, and it's another important step toward building the robust transmission grid our nation needs."
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, Kan., 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, Kan.; a new 765/345-kV substation near Spearville, Kan.; 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 will enhance access to lower-cost electric power markets, improve efficiency of the electric grid, improve reliability and enable development of renewable energy.
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. (
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. (
American Electric Power is one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, delivering electricity to more than 5 million customers in 11 states. AEP ranks among the nation's largest generators of electricity, owning nearly 38,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the U.S. AEP also owns the nation's largest electricity transmission system, a nearly 39,000-mile network that includes more 765-kilovolt extra-high voltage transmission lines than all other U.S. transmission systems combined. AEP's transmission system directly or indirectly serves about 10 percent of the electricity demand in the Eastern Interconnection, the interconnected transmission system that covers 38 eastern and central U.S. states and eastern Canada, and approximately 11 percent of the electricity demand in ERCOT, the transmission system that covers much of Texas. AEP's utility units operate as AEP Ohio, AEP Texas, Appalachian Power (in Virginia and West Virginia), AEP Appalachian Power (in Tennessee), Indiana Michigan Power, Kentucky Power, Public Service Company of Oklahoma, and Southwestern Electric Power Company (in Arkansas, Louisiana and east Texas). AEP's headquarters are in Columbus, Ohio.
MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company, based in Des Moines, Iowa, is a global provider of energy services. Through its energy-related business platforms, MidAmerican provides electric and natural gas service to more than 6.9 million customers worldwide. These business platforms are Pacific Power, Rocky Mountain Power and PacifiCorp Energy, which comprise PacifiCorp; MidAmerican Energy Company; CE Electric UK; Northern Natural Gas Company; Kern River Gas Transmission Company; and CalEnergy. Information about MidAmerican is available at [ www.midamerican.com ].
