The new 138-kV transmission lines will provide more reliable power than the existing infrastructure. The project upgrades are expected to be completed by the end of 2017.
Construction of new transmission lines and substations by Wheatland Electric Cooperative will allow the delivery of more reliable power to South Kansas homes and businesses.
POWER Engineers, a global consulting engineering firm, is providing Wheatland Electric the engineering design and other services to seamlessly coordinate work on two transmission and four substation projects needed to significantly improve system reliability.
The work at Wheatland Electric is being done in conjunction with major transmission upgrades by Mid-Kansas Electric Company, in the same area, and includes new 138-kilovolt (kV) lines in the areas of Caldwell and Conway Springs.
It also includes construction of new substations at Caldwell, Conway Springs and Rago. A fourth substation at Bluff City will get upgrades to accommodate the new 138-kV line.
“The new 138-kV lines will provide a much more reliable source than the existing lines and will better support present and future power demands,” said Brian Tomlinson, POWER’s Project Manager for the work at Wheatland Electric. “The new lines, along with Mid-Kansas transmission additions, will give local distribution substations two paths to deliver electricity, providing Wheatland Electric more flexibility for restoring power during an outage, such as during a storm, thereby improving reliability.”
The higher voltage lines also allow industry to consider building in areas that previously could not support their needs for electricity.
Recently, the American Wind Action launched a major issue wind-energy advocacy campaign throughout Kansas. Transmission is an important step to securing reliable wind power. Earlier this year, Enel began construction of the 400-MW Cimarron Bend wind farm in Kansa, its largest wind farm to date. Construction of the 200-MW Kingman Wind Energy Center is also underway.
Kansas has long been one of America’s wind power leaders; its installed capacity has doubled four times in the last 10 years, and it’s about to double again. In 2015, wind supplied nearly 24% of the state’s electricity, and according to state Governor Sam Brownback, that number will exceed 30% in 2016.
Besides engineering design, POWER’s services for the new transmission projects include support for procuring materials, putting together construction contracts, issuing construction documents to contractors, evaluating bids, recommending contract awards, holding pre-construction meetings, and more.
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