ITC Great Plains, a wholly-owned subsidiary of ITC Holdings, has been permitted by the Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC) to pursuing construction, ownership and operation of the extra-high voltage V-Plan transmission project.

On July 24, 2009, KCC has ruled that the company can construct and own two sections of this important 765 kilovolt (kV) project. Prairie Wind Transmission has also been given approval by KCC to construct and own a third section of this 180-mile-long line.

In collaboration with Sunflower Electric Power Corporation and Mid-Kansas Electric Company, ITC Great Plains plans to seek other regulatory approvals required, which includes project evaluation and cost allocation resolution by the Southwest Power Pool (SPP) regional planning authority and siting permission from the KCC to move the project forward.

The V-Plan is the major electric infrastructure investment proposed in Kansas that would run from Spearville to a termination point outside of Wichita, Kansas, and connect with another line running into Oklahoma. The V-Plan will establish a critical east-west transmission corridor across the state. The company is expected to invest approximately $400m to construct its portions of the project at 765 kV.

The KCC’s ruling accepted a Stipulation and Agreement (S&A) reached between ITC Great Plains and Prairie Wind that represents the sections of the line each company would construct and own. According to S&A terms, ITC Great Plains would construct and own segments of the line running from Spearville to Comanche County, Kansas, and from Comanche County to Medicine Lodge, Kansas. ITC Great Plains would also construct and own new substations in Comanche County, Spearville and Medicine Lodge, Kansas.

Prairie Wind will construct a substation at Medicine Lodge and a third section of line from that substation to a termination point outside of Wichita. Prairie Wind also would be certificated to construct a line from the Kansas V-Plan to the Oklahoma border.

Carl Huslig, president of ITC Great Plains, said: “ITC is pleased by the KCC’s decision and the obvious importance the Commission and Commission staff have placed on this project. The V-Plan is a critical project in Kansas and we are pleased to be cleared to begin the next steps in the process of getting this line constructed.”