TOPEKA — In a special business meeting on Monday, the Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC) allowed NextEra to move forward with its plans to build a 94-mile transmission line from the Wolf Creek power plant to the Blackberry Substation in Missouri.
The project will cut through Southeast Kansas, affecting about 58 property owners in Allen County, although the final route has not yet been approved by the Commission.
KCC granted a certificate of convenience and necessity to NextEra Energy Transmission Southwest, LLC, enabling the company to do business as a transmission only public utility in the State.
However, the Commission made clear it wants to minimize the impact on landowners. Recently, a group of landowners from Anderson and Allen counties have approached commissioners in their respective counties to impose additional setback requirements.
NextEra plans to construct a 94-mile, 345 kV transmission line from Wolf Creek to the Blackberry Substation, less than one mile over the state line in Southwest Missouri. The proposed line runs through five Kansas counties: Coffey, Anderson, Allen, Bourbon and Crawford.
The project is projected to lower overall energy costs, removing inefficiency, relieving transmission congestion and improving the reliability of the transmission system.
The Wolf Creek to Blackberry project was identified by the Southwest Power Pool (SPP) as a necessary economic project to increase the transmission capability and relieve congestion.
According to the testimony, Kansas customers could see an increase of $0.04 to $0.05 per month to cover the cost of the line beginning in 2025, but when the benefits of the project are considered, they should see a reduction of $4 to $7 for every dollar spent on the line over its 40 year operating life.
While granting the certificate, the Commission imposed additional requirements and conditions on NextEra designed to protect ratepayers and to explore ways to minimize the impact of landowners along the proposed route.
One of the conditions calls for NextEra to evaluate the feasibility of double circuiting the line with an existing 25-mile Evergy 161 kV transmission line and report back before a line siting application can be filed with the Commission. A double circuit line has two independent circuits on the same structure eliminating the need for an additional easement and reduces structure costs.
