News11/19/2012 ITC Great Plains Celebrates GroundbreakingMEDICINE LODGE, Kan., November 14, 2012 – ITC Great Plains, LLC today celebrated the beginning of construction of the V-Plan high-voltage transmission line project, the company’s second major transmission project in Kansas. At a groundbreaking ceremony near Medicine Lodge on the site of one of the project’s substations, ITC welcomed state and local officials, regional planning authorities, utility industry representatives and community leaders to mark the start of work on the 122-mile, 345,000 volt (345 kV) transmission line from Medicine Lodge to Spearville, Kan.
“As our second significant transmission project in Kansas, today’s V-Plan groundbreaking demonstrates the continuation of ITC’s long-term commitment to helping Kansas secure its energy future,” said Kristine Schmidt, president of ITC Great Plains. “It demonstrates the value of our business model as an independent transmission developer, and also our partnership approach. Collaboration with all our stakeholders is essential, and this project would not be possible without the support of Governor Sam Brownback and his administration, the Kansas Legislature, the Kansas Electric Transmission Authority, the Southwest Power Pool, and our utility partners, Sunflower Electric Power Corporation and Mid-Kansas Electric Company.”
“A robust electrical transmission grid will improve electric reliability and promote economic development and advancement in Kansas and beyond,” said Governor Brownback. “The V-Plan transmission line will provide a reliable high-voltage connection between eastern and western Kansas, enabling Kansans to enjoy the inherent quality of life benefits from a modern grid.”
ITC’s investment in a new high-voltage infrastructure within the Southwest Power Pool region is founded upon open access to the grid and collaboration with key energy stakeholders. ITC Great Plains is collaborating with local Kansas utilities Sunflower Electric and Mid-Kansas Electric Company on the V-Plan project.
“A growing load and increased compliance standards, along with a surge of wind interconnections, necessitates fortifying the transmission grid,” said Stuart Lowry, president and CEO of Sunflower and Mid-Kansas. “Upon completion of the V-Plan, we will have made great strides in expanding our ability to import and export both baseload and renewable energy throughout the region.”
“It’s gratifying to see another high-priority transmission project become a reality,” said State Rep. Carl Holmes, Chair of the Kansas Electric Transmission Authority (KETA). “ITC Great Plains’ completion of the KETA project and its launch of the V-Plan show a high level of commitment to strengthening the high-voltage grid in Kansas. We appreciate their efforts
as we continue to work together to further expand the grid and connect with other states. That way all Kansans can have access to more diverse and competitive sources of energy.”
About the Kansas V-Plan Project
The Kansas V-Plan is a high-voltage transmission line designed to connect eastern and western Kansas to improve electric reliability and enable energy developers to tap into the transmission grid, further establishing a competitive energy market in the state. This will contribute to a stronger transmission grid that will benefit the entire region. Kansans will
enjoy a robust grid that will increase reliability. In cooperation with Sunflower Electric Power Corporation and Mid-Kansas Electric Company, ITC Great Plains will design and construct approximately 122 miles of double-circuit, 345,000-volt lines from the Thistle substation that ITC will construct near Medicine Lodge, west to the new Clark County substation, then north to Spearville. The Kansas Corporation Commission approved the VPlan
route in July 2011. For more information on the V-Plan project, visit http://www.itcholdings.com/itc-great-plains.html.
About ITC Great Plains
ITC Great Plains, LLC is a transmission-only utility with authority to construct, own, operate and maintain a regulated, high-voltage transmission system in the Southwest Power Pool region. Based in Topeka, Kansas, ITC Great Plains operates more than 100 circuit miles
of transmission lines in Kansas and Oklahoma. ITC Great Plains is a subsidiary of ITC Grid Development, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of ITC Holdings Corp., the nation’s largest independent electric transmission company. For more information, please visit http://www.itctransco.com.
About ITC Grid Development
ITC Grid Development, LLC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of ITC Holdings Corp., the nation’s largest independent electric transmission company. ITC Grid Development was established to identify and develop new investment opportunities in the nation’s transmission grid. The company is focused on regional and local transmission opportunities to support the development of the nation’s transmission system through expansion of its existing assets and projects and through partnerships with local entities. ITC Grid Development has two subsidiaries, ITC Great Plains and ITC Panhandle
Transmission, located in the Southwest region.
About ITC Holdings Corp.
ITC Holdings Corp. (NYSE: ITC) is the nation’s largest independent electric transmission company. Based in Novi, Michigan, ITC invests in the electric transmission grid to improve reliability, expand access to markets, lower the overall cost of delivered energy and allow new generating resources to interconnect to its transmission systems. ITC’s regulated operating subsidiaries include ITCTransmission, Michigan Electric Transmission Company, ITC Midwest and ITC Great Plains. Through these subsidiaries, ITC owns and operates high-voltage transmission facilities in Michigan, Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma, serving a combined peak load exceeding 26,000 megawatts along 15,000
circuit miles of transmission line. Through ITC Grid Development and its subsidiaries, the company also focuses on expansion in areas where significant transmission system improvements are needed. For more information, please visit: http://www.itc-holdings.com.
Media Contact: Joe Kirik (248.946.3478, jkirik@itctransco.com)
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