ITC Great Plains Energizes Elm Creek-Summit Transmission Line and Project Substation in Central Kansas
PR Newswire, TOPEKA, December 7, 2016
ITC Great Plains, in conjunction with Mid-Kansas Electric Company (MKEC), has placed the Elm Creek-Summit high-voltage electric transmission line and the Elm Creek substation into service in central Kansas. The 60-mile, 345,000-volt (345kV) transmission line links the existing 345kV Summit substation southeast of Salina, Kansas to the new 345kV Elm Creek substation southeast of Concordia, Kansas.
ITC’s portion of the line, which is co-owned with MKEC, spans approximately 30 miles comprising the northern section of the project. Westar Energy constructed, owns, and operates the southern section of approximately 30 miles. The line is designed to improve the reliability of the transmission grid, reduce congestion, enable energy developers to tap into the transmission grid and promote economic development in the region.
ITC has energized its Elm Creek-Summit transmission line, improving reliability in Central #KSTweet
“The completion of the Elm Creek-Summit project demonstrates ITC’s ongoing commitment to helping Kansas and the region modernize and expand critical energy infrastructure,” said Brett Leopold, president of ITC Great Plains. “This project reinforces the value that ITC brings to the region as a transmission owner and operator by providing much-needed transmission investment across the Southwest Power Pool footprint. Customers benefit from an efficient, reliable grid that provides access to a variety of energy resources.”
ITC’s investment in high-voltage infrastructure in the Southwest Power Pool region is founded upon open access to the grid and collaboration with energy stakeholders to develop a transmission system that meets the current demands and evolving needs of the future. It is through ITC’s relationship with MKEC and other Kansas utilities that the Elm Creek-Summit project came to fruition, an important stride in the development of a regional and versatile transmission system.
“Mid-Kansas supports projects that help us continue our mission of providing our Members and the thousands of Kansans they serve with reliable energy at the lowest possible cost,” said Stuart Lowry, president and CEO of Mid-Kansas. “Mid-Kansas is proud to work with ITC on yet another high-voltage transmission project that will enhance electric service in the region and beyond for generations to come.”
About the Elm Creek-Summit Transmission Line
The Elm Creek to Summit Project is a new 60-mile, 345,000-volt (345 kV) line linking the existing 345 kV Summit Substation southeast of Salina, Kansas, to a new 345 kV substation southeast of Concordia, Kansas, located near the existing 230 kV Elm Creek Substation. ITC Great Plains, LLC, under a co-development agreement with Mid-Kansas Electric Company, LLC, constructed, co-owns with MKEC, and operates the northern section of the line. Westar Energy (Westar) constructed, owns, and operates the southern section.
Project Fast Facts:
Line length: Approximately 60 miles
Line route: From a new substation adjacent to the ITC Elm Creek substation southeast of Concordia in Cloud County to a point near Justice Road, east of Wells, in Ottawa County.
Voltage: 345,000 (345kV)
Right-of-way width: 200 feet
Structure type: Steel monopole, single-circuit
Structure height: 120 – 160 feet
Distance between structures: 800 – 1,500 feet
Structures per mile: Typically six
Substation: Elm Creek
Key Project Dates & Timeline:
Fall 2012 – Preliminary routing & community outreach
December 2012 – Public Open House events in Miltonvale, Bennington & Salina
Q1-Q2 2013 – Route selection & refined cost estimate; Southwest Power Pool review & approval
May 2013 – Route application filed with the Kansas Corporation Commission
August 2013 – KCC route approval
Q4 2013-2015 – Right-of-way acquisition
2014-2015 – Engineering design
2015-2016 – Project construction
December 7, 2016 – Project completion date
2018 – SPP required in-service date
About ITC Great Plains
ITC Great Plains, LLC is a transmission-only utility operating in the Southwest Power Pool region. The company currently operates approximately 470 circuit miles of transmission lines in Kansas and Oklahoma. ITC Great Plains maintains regional offices in Dodge City, Topeka and Wichita Kansas; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; and Little Rock, Arkansas. ITC Great Plains is a subsidiary of ITC Grid Development, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of ITC Holdings Corp., the nation’s largest independent electric transmission company. ITC’s focus on transmission and grid expansion drives operational excellence and delivers superior value for customers, communities and other stakeholders.
About ITC Holdings Corp.
ITC, a Fortis company, is the largest independent electric transmission company in the United States. Based in Novi, Michigan, ITC invests in the electric transmission grid to improve reliability, expand access to markets, allow new generating resources to interconnect to its transmission systems and lower the overall cost of delivered energy. Through its regulated operating subsidiaries ITCTransmission, Michigan Electric Transmission Company, ITC Midwest and ITC Great Plains, ITC owns and operates high-voltage transmission facilities in Michigan, Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma, serving a combined peak load exceeding 26,000 megawatts along approximately 15,700 circuit miles of transmission line with 660 employees and nearly 1,000 contractors across its seven state footprint. ITC’s grid development focus includes growth through regulated infrastructure investment as well as domestic and international expansion through merchant and other commercial development opportunities.
Media Contact:
Liz Hunt, APR | 405-536-0068; [email protected]