your community.your lines. your lights.

Return Service Requested3500 SW Fairlawn Rd., Suite 101Topeka, KS 66614

your community. your lines. your lights.

F A L L 2 0 1 6

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

3500 SW Fairlawn Rd., Suite 101Topeka, KS 66614

Do you have new contact information? ITC Great Plains wants to ensure we have your current contact information so that we may update you on

construction and project related activities. If you have updated information, please call (877) 482-4829.

We want to make sure we are doing everything we can to keep you informed of our activities. Thank you!

Letter from the PresidentI’m pleased to report that construction on the Elm Creek to

Summit 345kV electric transmission line is progressing well toward

successful completion.

Work on the Elm Creek substation began last September and is

anticipated to be completed in October, while line construction began

during the winter and is scheduled for completion in November.

We had a successful move of the substation’s 440,000-lb transformer,

an integral and massive piece of equipment that is a key element

in the effort to improve grid reliability in central Kansas. This piece

of equipment finished a two-month, 8,000-mile journey from the

Netherlands via ship, rail and truck to its new home in Concordia.

We are grateful for the cooperation and assistance from many in the

community to make the delivery and installation of this important

substation component a success.

We continue to appreciate the reception that crews are receiving from

landowners along the route. That support has been very helpful in

ensuring that we follow landowners’ instructions for accessing property

and minimizing damage to fields. Crews work hard to ensure that we

have open communication with residents in the work area, and we’re

grateful for your flexibility and availability.

If you have any questions about our plans or timing, please contact

Tracy Summers at 785-392-5112 or visit our field office located at

306 West 2nd Street in Minneapolis, Kansas. You may also call our

customer service center at (877) 482-4829 for any questions related

to ITC or the Elm Creek to Summit project.

Thank you for your partnership on this project. n Sincerely,

Brett Leopold President, ITC Great Plains

Elm Creek

Summit

Concordia

Salina

70

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ITC is committed to...n Working closely with communities and

local governments to ensure the siting and construction process is open and transparent, and citizens feel they are true participants in the process.

n Improving the electricity transmission infrastructure in Kansas and the region to further improve reliability and access to diverse sources of energy.

n Creating the most efficient and cost-effective transmission system to serve end-use consumers.

n Ensuring reliable energy is available to Kansans to support economic development and attract new business to the state.

In This Edition:n What is a Substation?

n Grass Fires and Transmission Equipment Don’t Mix

n ITC: Committed to the Community

n FAQsFAST FACTS:

Line length: Approximately 60 miles

Line route: From a new substation adjacent to the ITC Elm Creek substation southeast of Concordia in Cloud County to a point near Justice Road, east of Wells, in Ottawa County.

Voltage: 345,000 (345kV)

Right-of-way width: 200 feet

Structure type: Steel monopole, single-circuit

Structure height: 120 – 160 feet

Distance between structures: 800 – 1,500 feet

Structures per mile: Typically six

Substation: Elm Creek

KEY DATES & TIMELINE:Fall 2012 – Preliminary routing & community outreach

December 2012 – Public Open House events in Miltonvale, Bennington & Salina

Q1-Q2 2013 – Route selection & refined cost estimate; Southwest Power Pool review & approval

May 2013 – Route application filed with the Kansas Corporation Commission

August 2013 – KCC route approval

Q4 2013-2015 – Right-of-way acquisition

2014-2015 – Engineering design

2015-2016 – Construction

2016 – Target completion date

2018 – SPP required in-service date

Upcoming Events: September 23rd: Broadway Plaza Ribbon Cutting Concordia, KS

September 24th:Fall Fest • Concordia, KS

ITC strives to be a good neighbor and support the local communities that we serve. This commitment is the cornerstone of our business and our mission to be a best-in-class transmission provider.Community Commitment

CLOUD COUNTY

Cloud County Community College (photo, top)

ITC representatives presented a $2,500 donation to the Cloud County Community College Foundation during their annual scholarship auction event held in April. Proceeds raised from the auction provide scholarships to students.

CloudCorp Annual Banquet and Broadway Plaza Donation (photo, middle)

Brett Leopold, President of ITC Great Plains, served as the keynote speaker at CloudCorp’s Annual Luncheon, held in February at the Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church Parish Hall. During the luncheon, Leopold announced that ITC was making a $15,000 contribution to the City of Concordia’s Broadway Plaza project, the outdoor programmable public event space located at the corner of 6th and Broadway Streets in downtown Concordia. ITC’s contribution is for the installation of a downtown clock. ITC representatives look forward to joining the Concordia community on September 23 for the ribbon cutting festivities.

OTTAWA COUNTY

Bennington PRCA Rodeo With more than 7,000 guests in attendance, ITC was honored to be a sponsor of the 40th Annual Bennington PRCA Rodeo in Bennington, Kansas. Held in May, this three-day event showcased the talents of nearly 350 rodeo contestants from the surrounding states to compete for prize money and awards. The Rodeo has served as the Bennington Lions Club, Inc.’s primary fund raising project and has enabled the Club to sponsor many youth activities in Bennington and the surrounding area.

Minnie-K Day (photo, bottom)

ITC was pleased to participate in Ottawa County’s Minnie-K Day held in July in Minneapolis, Kansas. This county-wide celebration is sponsored by the Minneapolis Area Chamber of Commerce and draws attendees throughout Ottawa County for a fun-filled family day of food, music and festivities. n

Elm Creek Substation Update Last October ITC Great Plains began construction of the new Elm Creek substation located southeast of Concordia. Several months ago we moved several large pieces of equipment needed to complete the substation to the project site, to include the transformer.

Over a three-day period in March, a heavy-hauler team moved the 440,000-lb transformer off a special train car and onto a customized heavy-duty transporter and with care, slowly maneuvered this massive piece of equipment to the Elm Creek substation. It was quite a sight as the enormous convoy inched along the roads in Ottawa and Cloud County.

With assistance from both Ottawa and Cloud County officials, roads were evaluated and access granted to utilize a designated route that was chosen to accommodate the transportation of the heavy load.

The Elm Creek substation will be a major connecting point to the area’s existing high-voltage grid. It will connect our 230,000-volt (230 kV) transmission system to the 345kV Elm Creek to Summit transmission line and the regional transmission grid through Westar’s Summit substation located in Saline County. n

Grass Fires and Transmission Equipment Don’t MixGrass and ditch fires are effective at clearing out last year’s vegetation, but can cause major problems if they happen near electric transmission equipment.

ITC recommends against the use of fire under or adjacent to its facilities. But if a landowner does want to use burning to clear materials, ITC asks the landowner to prepare a prescribed fire notice. The notice is a written plan that includes:

n Names and contact information for the professional burn crew;

n Description of the planned burn area, including land use and present vegetation;

n A map showing the burn area in conjunction with the transmission equipment;

n Planned burn timing and conditions; and,

n Contact information for local authorities, fire department, property owners, notification procedures and timelines for notification.

ITC requires at least a 30-day notice for any planned burns around a line. That schedule allows the company to assess the location and make load-switching contingencies, in the event the fire does cause problems to the line or equipment.

Although the company has particular concerns if wood transmission poles are in the vicinity, there are other safety concerns related to burning and transmission lines. Carbon particles in the smoke or water used to manage the fire can conduct electricity, creating an arcing or discharge risk. That can cause an outage or even human harm or fatalities. For that reason, ITC urges landowners to carefully review their options before conducting any grass or ditch burns. Landowners can contact their Local Government and Community Affairs Area Manager for more information or call our customer service center at (877) 482-4829. n

440,000-lb transformer being transported to the Elm Creek substation ?What is a Substation?A substation is an integral part of the electrical generation, transmission and distribution system. Transmission substations, often referred to as “stations,” are like on and off ramps of major highways; they connect generation sources and lower-voltage transmission lines to the high-voltage regional grid. They usually contain transformers to change the voltage levels between high transmission voltages and lower transmission or distribution voltages. A transmission substation like Elm Creek is different from a distribution substation, which transforms the power from higher transmission voltages to the lower-voltage distribution system of an area. Distribution substations connect to end-users such as homes and businesses.

About the Elm Creek to Summit ProjectThe Elm Creek to Summit Project is a new

60-mile, 345,000-volt (345 kV) line linking

the existing 345 kV Summit Substation

southeast of Salina, Kansas, to a new 345 kV

substation southeast of Concordia, Kansas,

to be located near the existing 230 kV Elm

Creek Substation. ITC Great Plains, LLC (ITC),

under a co-development agreement with Mid-

Kansas Electric Company, LLC (MKEC), will

construct, co-own with MKEC and operate

the northern section of the line, and Westar

Energy, Inc. (Westar) will construct, own, and

operate the southern section. The Southwest

Power Pool (SPP) requires this project to be

in service no later than 2018. Currently we

are targeting an in-service date of November.

The Elm Creek to Summit Project will

improve the reliability of the grid in central

Kansas, allowing the grid to continue to meet

required standards of reliability. It will benefit

residents and businesses in central Kansas

and beyond by easing congestion across

the transmission network and improving

the efficiency of the grid. It also will provide

tax revenue, construction jobs and local

expenditures, and will expand capabilities for

future investment in area industry. n

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