Virtual Open House Materials March 22, 2022
Wolf Creek-Blackberry Transmission Line Project
Virtual Open House Recordings
Meeting Recording 10am-11am CT
Meeting Recording 6pm-7pm CT
Virtual Open House Presentation
Wolf Creek ‒ Blackberry Project
What Is The Project?
This project is a new 94-mile, 345 kilovolt (kV) regulated transmission line that runs from the Wolf Creek substation (Evergy) in Kansas to the Blackberry substation (AECI) in Missouri.
Why Is It Needed?
The Wolf Creek-Blackberry Project is part of SPP’s 2019 Integrated Transmission Plan to address the needs for a more reliable and cost-effective grid. This project will reduce congestion and provide market efficiencies and benefits to customers.
Where?
The project route traverses Coffey, Anderson, Allen, Bourbon and Crawford counties in Kansas, and Barton and Jasper counties in Missouri.
Project Benefits
The Southwest Power Pool identified the Wolf Creek-Blackberry project as needed through its Integrated Transmission Planning Process in 2019 to provide more affordable power in the region.
Expected to provide customers $23.7 million in congestion savings in its first year and an additional $377 million over the next 40 years
Additional investment in the local economy during construction and the life of the project
NEET Southwest is committed to using domestically-sourced materials, local vendors and workers as much as possible
Estimated to provide over $28 MM in tax revenue to Kansas and $4 MM to Missouri over the next 40 years
Routing Considerations
Socioeconomic, Landowners Impacts
Most direct route possible; lower cost for customers
Reducing greenfield routing impacts for landowners by paralleling or co-locating with existing transmission lines, roads, and property lines
Maximizing distances from residences and public facilities
Minimizing impacts to public airports (FAA) and Military Training Zones
Environmental Impacts
- Minimizing impacts to forested wetland and known cultural and archeological resources
Minimizing/avoiding protected or sensitive species and habitat impacts
Minimizing impacts to federal, state-owned, and tribal lands
Infrastructure Impacts
Optimize clearances to existing structures, including bridges, culverts, oil and gas wells, transmission lines, telecom towers, and wind turbines
The Electric System
Transmission is a critical component of the electric system.
Power is generated at the plant and this could be a nuclear power plant, solar site, or wind farm. It is transmitted via the transmission power lines to the substation, where high voltage power is stepped down to a lower voltage. This lower voltage power is then distributed over distribution power lines to neighborhoods, businesses, and residences and ultimately into your homes.
Engineering Design
The project was designed to use safe, reliable and cost-effective materials.
1 Conductor
Twin-Bundled 1590 kcmil “Falcon” ACSS/TW HS conductor will be installed, exceeding SPP minimum capacity requirements to reduce loss throughout the line and offer excellent structural reliability.
2 Structures
Steel and spun concrete monopole structures will be installed, allowing minimal visual impact on the environment given their slim profile while exceeding structural reliability and durability requirements. The average above ground pole height will be 110 feet, the average span length will be 900 feet, and the right-of-way width will be 150’, which is typical for 345-kV transmission lines.
3 Insulators
Braced post insulator assemblies will be installed in a delta configuration on the pole to support the conductor wires.
4 OPGW
Optical Ground Wire (OPGW) will provide the best possible protection for optical fibers, reliable lightning shielding, excellent corrosion performance, and will exceed the required fault current carrying capacity.
5 Foundation
Typical foundations installed will include direct embedded poles with crushed rock or unreinforced concrete backfill with an average pole diameter of 4.5 feet at the groundline. Angle structures will also be direct embedded poles supported by guy wires. Self-supporting structures placed on drilled shaft foundations will be installed at select locations to support line crossings and other constraints.
Construction Activities
With Safety at the Forefront of Everything We Do, NEET Southwest Will:
Construct the line with qualified, insured, experienced contractors with proven safety records and that use protocols to help prevent the spread of COVID-19
Require its contractors to minimize disturbances, protect landowners and their property
Activities That Will Happen Along the Project’s Right-of-Way (ROW):
- Meet with landowners to address issues and questions
Clear ROW for construction access
Install new foundations, poles and wires
Clean up and restore the ROW as close to original condition as possible
Right-of-Way Easements
Working with Landowners
NEET Southwest is securing options for easements from landowners whose land will be crossed by the transmission line. Following regulatory approvals of the project, NEET Southwest will finalize the purchase of the easements.
Crews and contractors may access the rights of way to conduct the following activities while the project approval process is underway:
Surveying
Cultural and natural resources assessments
Wetlands delineations
Soils testing
NEET Southwest will work with landowners on an ongoing basis throughout the construction, clean up phase of the project, and beyond.
Project Timeline
Regulatory Approvals: 2022 Q1-Q4
ROW Acquisition: 2022 Q1-2023 Q2
Design and Engineering: 2022 Q1-2023 Q3
Environmental Permitting: 2022 Q2-2023 Q2
Procurement: 2022 Q4-2023 Q3
Construction: 2023 Q3-2024 Q4
Commissioning: 2024 Q3-2024 Q4
Project In-Service: 2025 Q1
Note: Subject to Regulatory approvals.
Operations and Maintenance
NEET Southwest focuses on reliability and safety standards for operating transmission assets.
To do this, NEET Southwest:
Monitors system on a 24-hour basis from its state-of-the-art operations control center
Performs regular, preventative, time-based inspections
Makes timely repairs when needed
Monitors and removes vegetation in ROW to help ensure the safe and reliable operation of the transmission line
Supports by 70 technical staff in locations near the Project and one location within 30-minute drive from the Project mid-point
NEET Southwest provides landowners notice before accessing the ROW to perform scheduled maintenance. In the unlikely event of an emergency, NEET Southwest will immediately deploy local crews to ensure safety and resolve any issues.