|
|
|
A new high voltage transmission line will not be going through Pratt County but the county could still reap some economic benefits during the construction process.
The ITC Kansas V-Plan will build a high voltage transmission line from Spearville south to new substation in Clark County then east to a new substation by Medicine Lodge called Thistle Sub Station, said Joe Kirik, ITC senior capital communications specialist.
The 120 mile long project will cost about $300 million. During construction, some 290 workers will be involved along the entire path of the project.
During the planning process, a couple of possible routes passed through Pratt County. The eventual plan submitted to the Kansas Corporation Commission for approval went south of Pratt County and into Barber County instead.
Although the proposed line will not go through Pratt County, when construction begins on the project construction workers could spend dollars in Pratt as they travel to and from the construction site. Some workers might stay in Pratt during construction and that could lead to dollars spent on gas, motels, food and other products, Kirik said.
On the average, workers spend from six to seven dollars for every hour they work so it could impact Pratt County.
During their deliberations on the route of the line, ITC held open houses in Dodge City, Medicine Lodge and Greensburg to get input from landowners. The portion that would have gone through Pratt County would have affected a lot of agriculture land. Some landowners were concerned about the lines crossing their land. About 300 attended the meetings or sent letters or e-mails.
“We took all their comments into consideration,” Kirik said. “We want to work with landowners to make this a successful project.”
The use of the land, the environmental impact, existing right-of-way, input from community leaders and farmers were all considered before ITC made their decision on a route.
“A lot of people were involved in the process. Everybody gets a voice,” Kirik said.
In the end, the route chosen was the best balance of all factors having the least impact and the most reasonable overall. A portion of the final route follows an existing low voltage line.
A meeting with the Kansas Corporation Commission is scheduled today to discuss the potential route with landowners and the Commission. Representatives from ITC will be on hand to answer any questions as work through the approval process for the line.
A new high voltage transmission line will not be going through Pratt County but the county could still reap some economic benefits during the construction process.
The ITC Kansas V-Plan will build a high voltage transmission line from Spearville south to new substation in Clark County then east to a new substation by Medicine Lodge called Thistle Sub Station, said Joe Kirik, ITC senior capital communications specialist.
The 120 mile long project will cost about $300 million. During construction, some 290 workers will be involved along the entire path of the project.
During the planning process, a couple of possible routes passed through Pratt County. The eventual plan submitted to the Kansas Corporation Commission for approval went south of Pratt County and into Barber County instead.
Although the proposed line will not go through Pratt County, when construction begins on the project construction workers could spend dollars in Pratt as they travel to and from the construction site. Some workers might stay in Pratt during construction and that could lead to dollars spent on gas, motels, food and other products, Kirik said.
On the average, workers spend from six to seven dollars for every hour they work so it could impact Pratt County.
During their deliberations on the route of the line, ITC held open houses in Dodge City, Medicine Lodge and Greensburg to get input from landowners. The portion that would have gone through Pratt County would have affected a lot of agriculture land. Some landowners were concerned about the lines crossing their land. About 300 attended the meetings or sent letters or e-mails.
“We took all their comments into consideration,” Kirik said. “We want to work with landowners to make this a successful project.”
The use of the land, the environmental impact, existing right-of-way, input from community leaders and farmers were all considered before ITC made their decision on a route.
“A lot of people were involved in the process. Everybody gets a voice,” Kirik said.
In the end, the route chosen was the best balance of all factors having the least impact and the most reasonable overall. A portion of the final route follows an existing low voltage line.
A meeting with the Kansas Corporation Commission is scheduled today to discuss the potential route with landowners and the Commission. Representatives from ITC will be on hand to answer any questions as work through the approval process for the line.
The KCC has until July 12 to approve or disapprove the potential route that was submitted March 12.
“The ball is in their court,” Kirik said.
In previous projects in Kansas, ITC’s proposed line routes have been approved and Kirik hopes the KCC will approve this route as well.
Once they have KCC approval, ITC will begin the acquisition process and that could take up to a year. A lot of time will be spent talking with landowners to determine the best placement for the line on each individual piece of property.
If all goes as hoped, construction on the project should start in Spring 2013 with completion estimated for late 2014.
Another company, Prairie Wind Transmission, is constructing a high voltage line from Thistle to a sub station outside Wichita as part of this line.
