A transmission line project to connect power plant substations in Kansas and Missouri will affect nearly 60 Allen County landowners.
NextEra Energy outlined their plans in virtual presentations Tuesday morning and afternoon, giving participants an opportunity to ask questions about the project.
The transmission line is needed to provide more cost-effective and reliable energy by reducing congestion on existing power lines, Marcos Mora, NextEra’s executive director, said.
Reducing congestion typically provides savings in energy costs, as power is able to move more efficiently.
The project is expected to save customers about $24 million in the first year, and another $377 million over the next 40 years.
Building the transmission lines will benefit the local economy, as NextEra said they typically use material, vendors and labor from the local area as much as possible.
That economic benefit is expected to be about $28 million in Kansas and $4 million in Missouri over the next 40 years.
NextEra is now in the process of obtaining regulatory approval, designing the project and reaching out to landowners for right-of-way acquisitions. That process will include financial compensation for those affected.
A tentative route has been proposed, but that could change as the company reaches agreements with landowners.
About 58 landowners in Allen County will be affected by the project, but that number could change as the route is finalized.
NextEra has contacted most of the affected landowners. If you believe you will be affected but haven’t been contacted, you can call 620-205-2051 or email [email protected].
THE LINE will stretch from the Wolf Creek substation at Burlington in Coffey County, go into southwest Anderson County, enter Allen County northwest of U.S. 169 and cut diagonally across the county for about 20 miles to southeast of Elsmore, where it will enter Bourbon County.
After crossing Bourbon County, the line will cut through Crawford County and into Barton and Jasper counties in Missouri, where it will connect to the Blackberry substation.
The entire length will be 94 miles.
The project will feature a monopole design, which is a single pole rather than the traditional lattice-type tower. The design is intended to require less space and minimize tree clearing and agricultural impacts.
