Allen County planning commissioners voted 5-1 Thursday evening to recommend county commissioners issue a conditional use permit for construction of a substation to accommodate the pending wind farm.
It would come to play to transfer power into the Centerville-Marmaton high voltage transmission line owned by Kansas City Power and Light.
Power would come from a wind farm in northeast Allen County capable of generating 200 megawatts, which has yet to win official approval from planners, or county commissioners. Planners will review a zoning request for the wind farm on Oct. 26.
County commissioners have final say. A recommendation by planners is just that, and may be overridden upon reaching commissioners. However, it is unusual and often politically sullying, for governors to ignore a subordinate body’s recommendation.
The substation is planned for four miles north and two and a half miles east of Moran, on a 10-acre plot purchased by EDP Renewables, the wind farm developer.
The lone no vote came from Mitch Bolling, Moran, who asked several questions relative to why EDP was seeking the zoning variance for the substation, and not KCPL, which will build and own it in the longer run. Also why its recommendation was being sought ahead of the wind farm itself was a sticking point for Bolling.
Rorik Peterson, EDP associate director of development, explained the Southwest Power Pool, which has regulatory control, required it be approached in that manner. “We own the land (10 acres)” and will stand cost of the substation, although KCPL will build the substation after the site has been transferred to the utility company.
A second substation is an integral part of the wind farm plans, within the 15,000 or so acres that have been acquired for the project, Peterson said. That substation would align power to flow flawlessly into the KCPL substation and onto the grid, where, in turn, it would be sold to whomever.
Overhead lines would carry power from the gathering point in the wind farm to the KCPL substation and high-voltage transmission line.
Harry Lee, planning commission chairman, read two letters, one supportive of the conditional use permit for the substation. A second took issue with overhead lines crossing his property; Peterson said the man’s land would not be involved in the project.
Denise Mentzer, whose motion led to the recommendation, wondered if the substation’s construction would put county roads and bridges at risk.
A KCPL spokesman said no large and heavy transformers would be involved and the lion’s share of traffic would be pickup trucks and other vehicles that commonly use county roads.
THE EDP project first surfaced in Allen County in 2014, with anticipation 20,000 acres would be leased. About 15,000 have been, which is more than sufficient for the turbine configuration needed for a 200 megawatt field, said Stevee Kennard, EDP project manager.
Peterson said 60 or fewer turbines would be situated in the field. Time was, he added, about 100 would have been required, but technological advances have intervened.
A second wind farm — at least part of one — has been proposed for Allen County.
NextEra, a Palm Beach, Fla., company has been acquiring lease options in southwest Bourbon and southeast Allen counties.
EDP is the third-largest wind company in North America. Its 40 wind farms have 5,000 megawatts of installed capacity. Peterson and Kennard are based in the company’s Overland Park office.
In addition to Mentzer, Bolling and Lee, planning commission members are Marvin Stanley, Jim Wildschuetz, Keith Beaman and Steve French. French was unable to attend Thursday evening’s session.
