ITC Great Plains, LLC has received siting approval from the Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC) for Phase II of the KETA high-voltage electric transmission line project (also known as the Spearville-Axtell line). The second phase of the KETA project involves the construction of an approximately 85-mi, 345-kV line through north-central Kansas to the Kansas-Nebraska border.

The KCC siting approval for Phase II is a critical step toward completion of the KETA project, a 225-mi transmission line from Spearville to Axtell, Neb. The Phase II route passes through Ellis, Rooks, Osborne and Smith counties. The route for Phase I, an 89-mi segment from Spearville to Hays, received KCC approval on July 13, 2009.

"ITC Great Plains appreciates the Commission's approval of the route for the second phase of this critical regional transmission project," said Carl Huslig, president, ITC Great Plains. “The KETA project will help deliver affordable power to Kansans while bolstering the reliability of our regional transmission grid and assisting the further development of wind energy in the region in an environmentally friendly way.”

The KCC decision supports an ongoing effort by ITC Great Plains to address the state’s energy challenges: the lack of transmission capacity between western and eastern Kansas and the absence of an energy grid to support wind development. This decision provides additional backing for investment in a new high voltage infrastructure within the SPP region founded upon open access to the grid and collaboration with key energy stakeholders.

The Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD) will build the approximately 51-mi final segment of the KETA project from the Kansas-Nebraska border to Axtell, Neb. ITC has coordinated with NPPD on a border crossing point located in Smith County.

About the KETA (Spearville-Axtell) Project

The KETA Project, also known as the Spearville-Axtell line, is a 345,000- 345kV transmission line conceived and sponsored by the Kansas Electric Transmission Authority (KETA). It will run approximately 225 miles from Spearville, Kan., to Axtell, Neb. The line is being built in three phases: Spearville to the Post Rock substation (formerly Knoll) near Hays; Post Rock to the Kansas-Nebraska border; and from the Kansas-Nebraska border to Axtell. ITC Great Plains will build the first two segments, from Spearville to the Nebraska border. The Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD) is responsible for building the third segment, from the Kansas-Nebraska border to Axtell, where it will interconnect with a substation owned and operated by NPPD. For more information on the KETA project, go to http://www.itctransco.com/projects/current/itcgreatplains.html.