TOPEKA, Kan., July 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- ITC Great Plains, LLC yesterday received siting approval from the Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC) for the V-Plan high-voltage electric transmission line, a project designed to connect eastern and western Kansas. The route approved by the KCC for the 345,000 volt (345kV) double-circuit line runs approximately 122 miles through southwestern Kansas from the existing Spearville substation to two new substations: the Clark County substation in northern Clark County and the Thistle substation east of Medicine Lodge in central Barber County.

"ITC Great Plains appreciates the Commission's timely approval of the route for this critical infrastructure project for the state of Kansas and the region," said Carl Huslig, business lead, ITC Great Plains. "The V-Plan will improve electric reliability and enable energy developers to tap into the transmission grid, further establishing a competitive energy market in the state. This will contribute to a more robust transmission grid that will benefit Kansas and the entire region."

The route approved by the KCC includes several modifications from the original route filed in March. The modifications were developed and approved to reduce certain landowner impacts and accommodate future development plans identified by the public during the KCC siting proceeding. The route travels through Ford, Clark, Kiowa and Barber counties.

ITC will begin negotiations with landowners to purchase right-of-way easements in the near future. Construction is projected to begin in the spring of 2013. The project is expected to enter service late in 2014. The V Plan is being constructed by ITC Great Plains in collaboration with its local utility partners, Sunflower Electric Power Corporation and Mid-Kansas Electric Company.

ITC Great Plains filed its route application with the KCC on March 14, 2011, following open house events in Dodge City, Medicine Lodge and Greensburg in January. More than 300 landowners, residents and other interested parties attended the events and provided input regarding route alternatives. The KCC conducted public hearings on the proposed route on April 21 in Greensburg and June 27 in Dodge City.

Kansas V-Plan Fast Facts
Line route: Ford, Clark, Kiowa and Barber counties
Line length: Approximately 122 miles, Spearville to Clark County to Thistle substation near Medicine Lodge
New substations: Clark County and Thistle
Voltage: 345,000 (345 kV)
Structure type: Steel monopole, double circuit
Structure height: 100-150 feet
Structures per mile: Typically six
More information: [ http://www.itcgreatplains.com/1_whykansas.html ]

About ITC Great Plains

ITC Great Plains, LLC was formed in July 2006 as a subsidiary of ITC Grid Development, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of ITC Holdings Corp., the nation's only fully independent electric transmission company. Headquartered in Topeka, Kansas, ITC Great Plains is a transmission-only utility which seeks to build a more robust electric transmission system providing access to reliable, non-discriminatory, competitive and low-cost energy throughout the Southwest Power Pool (SPP) region. ITC Great Plains holds transmission-only utility status in Kansas and Oklahoma with the authority to construct, own, operate, and maintain a regulated, high-voltage transmission system. For more information, please visit [ http://www.itctransco.com ].

About ITC Holdings Corp.

ITC Holdings Corp. (NYSE: [ ITC ]) invests in the electricity transmission grid to improve electric reliability, expand access to markets, lower the overall cost of delivered energy and allow new generating resources to interconnect to its transmission systems. The largest independent electricity transmission company in the country, ITC currently operates high-voltage transmission systems and assets in Michigan's Lower Peninsula and portions of Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, Missouri and Kansas, serving a combined peak load in excess of 25,000 megawatts through its regulated operating subsidiaries, ITCTransmission, Michigan Electric Transmission Company (METC), ITC Midwest and ITC Great Plains. ITC also focuses on further expansion in areas where significant transmission system improvements are needed through ITC Grid Development and its subsidiaries. For more information, please visit [ http://www.itc-holdings.com ]. (itc-ITC)

SOURCE ITC Holdings Corp.

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ITC Great Plains Receives Siting Approval for the Kansas V-Plan Transmission Line Project

ITC Great Plains Receives Siting Approval for the Kansas V-Plan Transmission Line Project