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Posted on July 27, 2007
From American Wind Energy Newsletter

ITC Great Plains, LLC Plans

ITC Great Plains, LLC, a subsidiary of ITC Holdings Corp., advised Southwest Power Pool, Inc., (SPP) of its commitment to construct, own, operate, and maintain the northern portion of SPP's "X Plan," a 180-mile long transmission project that calls for the installation of a line commencing northeast of Dodge City, Kan., and running southeast to Comanche County, Kan., where the transmission company will construct a new switchyard.

The line, which will then run from the Comanche County switchyard northeast toward Wichita, will help facilitate wind energy development, spur economic growth, and improve the reliability of the state's electricity grid.

ITC has also proposed to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to lower interconnection costs assigned to generators in Michigan, which would significantly reduce the burden on wind generators and alleviate the interconnection queue logjam. "ITC is paving the way to a bright transmission future, which the nation needs to maintain reliability, reduce congestion costs, and connect renewable energy," said AWEA Policy Director Rob Gramlich.

ITC Great Plains anticipates the project will be in service by late 2010, subject to timely receipt of regulatory approvals. SPP is responsible for regional transmission planning and coordination in a multi-state area that includes Kansas.

"We believe that this project supports a number of important initiatives in the state, including Governor Kathleen Sebelius's vision for greater access to the grid for renewable resources as well as the Kansas Electric Transmission Authority's vision for a robust transmission grid," said Carl Huslig, president of ITC Great Plains.

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