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22 August 2006 -- Westar Energy announced Tuesday that it has chosen a location in Lyon County, Kansas, as the site for a new natural gas-fired combustion turbine peaking power plant. The site is in a rural area of Lyon County near the company's existing Lang substation, which is northeast of Emporia.
Westar Energy retained Burns & McDonnell of Kansas City, Mo. to perform a comprehensive study for a new peaking plant site, beginning in May 2005. Westar Energy then, based on the study, selected the Lyon County site. The study evaluated several criteria including the availability of natural gas, environmental impact, transmission access and community support. Initially, Burns & McDonnell identified and evaluated 53 possible locations throughout Kansas. Westar Energy also solicited input from communities interested in hosting the plant. Burns & McDonnell helped evaluate the sites that communities proposed.
"We're pleased to have received interest in our new plant from 29 different communities, said Jim Ludwig, vice president, regulatory and public affairs. "We are grateful for the strong support the people from this area and the Regional Development Association (RDA) of East-Central Kansas have shown for this site."
The new plant will have an initial generating capacity of up to 300 MW, with additional capacity to be added in phases, bringing the total capacity to 600 MW. The total investment in the plant will be about $330 million. In the years ahead, to meet its customers' needs, Westar Energy will also make substantial investments in environmental upgrades at existing power plants and to acquire coal base load capacity, new transmission lines and energy efficiency programs.
"This plant is a very important part of our plan to meet the increasing needs of our customers in a reliable and cost-effective manner," said Doug Sterbenz, executive vice president, generation and marketing. "The plant will be a state-of-the-art facility and designed to minimize any impact on neighbors and the environment."
Although planning for new power plants began much earlier, the company's need to generate more electricity to meet higher demands is illustrated by two new peak power usage records set in July.
Westar Energy plans to break ground on the new plant in the spring of 2007. The initial phase of the plant is scheduled to begin operation in the summer of 2008.
Westar Energy, Inc. (NYSE: WR) is the largest electric utility in Kansas, providing electric service to about 660,000 customers in the state. Westar Energy has nearly 6,000 MW of electric generation capacity and operates and coordinates approximately 33,000 miles of electric distribution and transmission lines.
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