The Kansas Corporation Commission says NextEra Energy Transmission Southwest can build a multi-county transmission line from Wolf Creek into southwest Missouri — with a few conditions attached.
As part of a special meeting Monday, the KCC approved what’s called a “certificate of convenience and necessity” to let NextEra build the line across parts of Coffey, Anderson, Allen, Bourbon and Crawford counties before linking to the Blackberry substation near Joplin, Missouri. The nearly 100-mile, 345 kilovolt transmission line was noted by the Southwest Power Pool as needed to increase transmission capability, thus making it easier to get power between SPP load centers and western Kansas.
Ratepayers could see a monthly increase of four to five cents beginning in 2025, although the KCC says there will be an overall reduction of $4-$7 for every dollar spent on the high-energy transmission line over its 40-year lifespan. The cost of the line will be split equally across all 14 states in the Southwest Power Pool, including Kansas.
As part of the agreement, NextEra will need to evaluate whether double-circuiting the line with a 25-mile, 161-kilovolt line is feasible. NextEra also has to report back to the KCC on its findings.
