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 70-105 miles of extra-high-voltage 345-kV double-circuit transmission lines linking a new 345-kV substation near Wichita, Kan., to a new 345-kV substation northeast of Medicine Lodge, Kan., 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 cost of the project is $160-250 million; however, final costs will be dependent on the routing of the line, equipment and commodity costs. The project is anticipated to be completed in 2014.
"Westar is pleased to be a partner in Prairie Wind Transmission with AEP and MidAmerican. Both rank 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 the reliability of our nation's electricity grid and promotes the Kansas policy to rapidly develop 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 a first step toward the development of a robust transmission system 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."
