keta project

your community.your lines. your lights.

Return Service Requested1100 SW Wanamaker Rd., Suite 103Topeka, KS 66604

your community.your lines. your lights.

D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 0

877.ITC.ITC9 (877.482.4829)www.itcgreatplains.com

1100 SW Wanamaker Rd., Suite 103Topeka, KS 66604

345 KV TRANSMISSION LINE PROJECT

Spearville-Axtell Phase I

Dear Friends,

We are very happy to report that we recently reached two important milestones on the Spearville-Axtell (KETA) high-voltagetransmission line. Within the space of a few weeks last month we celebrated the ceremonial groundbreaking for the project,and we began actual construction work on Phase I of the line. We’re now busy digging foundationsalong the Pawnee County segment of the line and poles will be going up soon. On the insidepages of this newsletter you’ll find detailed stories on the groundbreaking and the lineconstruction process.

These exciting events represent important steps in building a twenty-first century high-voltage infrastructure that will bring Kansas a more consistent and affordable energysupply. This will help Kansas businesses grow and attract new jobs. Finally, Kansaswill once again become a net exporter of energy.

Of course none of this would be possible without your cooperation. Since we beganthe land acquisition process earlier this year, we have met or spoken with all thelandowners in Pawnee, Ford, Hodgeman, Edwards, Ellis and Rush counties and manyin Rooks, Osborne and Smith counties. We have obtained nearly all the easements needed

for construction of the Phase I line from Spearville to Hays, andwe are making very good progress in the Phase II counties.

We appreciate the cordial nature of our conversations and are very grateful for your willingnessto work with us. We value our partnerships with landowners and pledge to continue workingwith you throughout the line’s design and construction process, and certainly throughout thelife of this important project.

Thank you for your continued interest in the Spearville-Axtell line. We hope you findthese newsletters helpful and informative. If you have any questions, please don’thesitate to contact us toll-free at (877) ITC-ITC9 or [email protected] also can find information on our web site, www.itcgreatplains.com. �

Sincerely,

Carl A. HusligPresident, ITC Great Plains



ITC Great PlainsITC Great Plains is a transmission-only utility working to build a more robust electric

transmission system providing access to reliable, non-discriminatory, competitive and low-cost

energy throughout the Southwest Power Pool (SPP) region. ITC Great Plains holds

transmission-only utility status in Kansas and Oklahoma with the authority to construct, own,

operate, and maintain a regulated, high-voltage transmission system. ITC operates high-

voltage transmission systems in portions of Michigan, Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois and Missouri.

Letter from the President

KANSAS

NEBRASKA

Spearville

Axtell

Hays

Phase I

Phase II

Project Area

FA S T FA C T S :Line length: 174 miles, Spearville to Nebraska border

Line route: Ford, Hodgeman, Edwards, Pawnee, Rush,Ellis, Rooks, Osborne and Smith counties

Voltage: 345,000 (345 kV)

Right-of-way width: 150 feet

Structure type: Steel monopole, single-circuit

Towers per mile: Typically six

Substations: Spearville, Post Rock (near Hays)

K E Y DAT E S & T IM E L I N E :July 13, 2009 – Kansas Corporation Commission approved Phase I sitingapplication

June 30, 2010 – KCC approved Phase II siting application

January 2010 thru January 2012 – Right-of-Way Acquisition andEngineering Design

November 2010 thru December 2012 – Line and Substation Construction

June 2012 – Energize Phase I – Spearville to Post Rock (Hays)

December 2012 –Target date for completion

June 2013 – Official in-service date

Q: Will this line limit the use of my land?A. Vehicles, equipment and livestock generally will be free to pass under the new lines, and in most cases property ownerswill be able to use their land for the same purposes they used it prior to construction of the line.

Q: Does locating the transmission line on my property mean I can’t lease my land to windfarm developers?

A. An appropriate buffer zone is required between transmission lines and wind turbines. Wind turbines can be placed closerto transmission lines than they can to each other. This results in little or no disturbance to wind turbine location.

Q: Will ITC Great Plains compensate me for damage to my land during construction?A. ITC Great Plains is committed to working with you throughout the siting, design, and construction process to attempt tominimize impacts to your property. We will work with you to establish favorable points of ingress and egress to the right of wayduring construction. We will re-route fencing as necessary and will keep gates closed to keep livestock in. Due to the weightof equipment and materials used in construction, there may be impacts on property such as soil disturbance and compaction.After construction is completed, ITC will return your property as near as possible to its pre-existing condition. �

Answers to Your Questions

Construction is Underway!Just before sunset on November 16, a giant auger pierced the Pawnee County soilto dig the first pole foundation for the Spearville-Axtell transmission line. It’s aprocess that will be repeated more than a thousand times over the next two years asthe 175-mile Kansas segment of the project takes shape.

The line is being built with steel monopoles more than 100 feet tall. Most will be fourto five feet in diameter at the base, but some specialized poles can be as much as eightfeet in diameter . As you might imagine, poles that size need hefty foundations. Soilborings conducted during the design phase helped determine the depth and backfillneeded to support each structure.

The auger drills holes up to 10 feet in diameter, to a depthof as much as 60 feet. Round steel base sections are setinto the holes and back-filled with either stone orconcrete, depending on soil conditions and the load on aparticular pole. For example, a sharp-angle turn in theline puts heavy side stresses on a pole, requiring a deeperfoundation filled with concrete. Lower-stressed straight-linepoles can use shallower foundations backfilled with stone.

Once the bases are installed, the remaining sections – typically a mid-section andtop – are installed, along with the hardware to support the conductors (wires).

Construction work is currently focusing on the southern portion of Phase I of theline in Pawnee County. �

Governor, state Leaders Join ITC Great Plains to CelebrateGroundbreaking for the Spearville-Axtell ProjectBright blue skies and brisk winds formed the perfect setting to celebrate the groundbreaking for the 225-mileSpearville-Axtell (KETA) transmission line project. With a truckload of transmission poles as the backdrop, GovernorMark Parkinson led a distinguished list of guests in digging the first shovels of soil to symbolically signal the startof construction for the 345,000 volt line.

Governor Parkinson said “The KETA Line is a significant project in growing our state’s infrastructure, and I amhonored to take part in this momentous groundbreaking that will help Kansas unlock its true potential in theenergy economy.”

ITC Holdings Corp. CEO Joseph L. Welch and ITC Great Plains President Carl Huslig welcomed the enthusiasticcrowd of about 80 distinguished guests. Senator Janis Lee, who also serves as a member of the Kansas ElectricTransmission Authority (KETA), was emcee for the event.

“Energy development in Kansas is very important to me,” Sen. Lee noted.“Our state has tremendous renewable energy potential. By working togetherwe can unlock that potential and put it to work for us.”

State Rep. Carl Holmes, Chair of KETA, said he is very gratified to see thishigh-priority project become a reality. “The Legislature and the administrationhave been working very hard for a long time to upgrade the grid in Kansas. ITCGreat Plains has shown a high level of commitment and persistence in seeingthis project through. We appreciate their efforts, especially because we cancontinue to work together to further expand the grid and connect with otherstates. That way all Kansans can have access to more diverse and competitivesources of energy.”

ITC’s Welch thanked the company’s local utility partners on the project,Midwest Energy and Sunflower Electric. “They have been wonderful partnersand we’re looking forward to long and productive relationships with them,”Welch said.

Midwest Energy President and General Manager Earnie Lehman said theproject will bring great benefits to Midwest’s customer-owners, both byproviding access to new energy sources and bringing economic developmentto the region.

Earl Watkins, President and CEO, Sunflower Electric Power Corporation, saidSunflower is proud to work with Kansas officials, ITC and Midwest Energy ona project that will enhance the import and export of generation in the region. “As the demand for reliable,affordable energy continues to increase across the nation, meeting that demand will depend upon visionary, high-voltage transmission plans—bolstered by this cooperative spirit—such as the KETA project.” �



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