Prairie Wind Transmission, LLC., is a joint venture formed by Westar Energy and Electric Transmission America — a joint venture of subsidiaries of American Electric Power and MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company — to build and own new electric transmission assets in Kansas.
Prairie Wind Transmission is proposing to build approximately 110 miles of extra-high voltage 765-kilovolt transmission facilities linking a new 765/345-kV substation near Wichita, KS to 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 then south to the Kansas/Oklahoma border. The project will provide enhanced electricity transport in Kansas and support expansion of renewable electricity generation in the region.
The estimated costs for the project are approximately $400 million; however, final costs will be dependent on the routing of the line, equipment and commodity costs. Anticipated completion would be in 2013. AEP's ownership share of the joint venture will be 25 percent.
"Westar is pleased to be a partner in Prairie Wind Transmission with AEP and MidAmerican companies. AEP has the most experience with ultra-high capacity 765-kV transmission lines of any transmission provider in the country, MidAmerican ranks among the largest transmission owners in the country, and Westar has more new transmission projects approved and under construction in Kansas than any other utility in the state," said Bill Moore, Westar Energy president and CEO. "The Prairie Wind project advances federal policy for a more robust transmission system to ensure reliability of our nation's electricity grid and promotes Kansas policy for rapid development of wind energy and the transmission network required to support it."
"The proposed project is good for the region, the state and our customers," said Kelly Harrison, Westar Energy Vice President, Transmission Operations and President of Prairie Wind. "This project is the best first step toward the development of an interstate transmission super highway in the Midwest that will enable Kansas to export renewable energy resources to other regions and facilitate access to markets for other generation sources. Each participant in this joint venture brings diverse strengths that make Prairie Wind unique."
The Kansas project encompasses the first phase of the Extra-High-Voltage Overlay Study plan released March 3, 2008, by the Southwest Power Pool. Westar and ETA are seeking authority from the Kansas Corporation Commission to construct, own and operate transmission in Kansas. The companies also will seek rate approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
