Priority Projects
In April 2010 the SPP Board of Directors and Members Committee approved for construction a group of "priority" high voltage electric transmission projects estimated to bring benefits of at least $3.7 billion to the SPP region over 40 years. The projects will improve the regional electric grid by reducing congestion on the power lines, better integrating SPP‟s east and west regions, improving SPP members‟ ability to deliver power to customers, and facilitating the addition of new renewable and non-renewable generation to the electric grid. Read more about the projects in the Priority Projects Phase II Final Report.
- Double-circuit 345-kV line from Spearville, Kan.; to Comanche County, Kan.; to Medicine Lodge, Kan.; to Wichita, Kan.
- Double-circuit 345-kV line from Medicine Lodge, Kan., to Woodward, Okla.*
- Double-circuit 345-kV line from Woodward, Okla., to Hitchland, Texas
- 345-kV line from Nebraska City, Neb.; to Maryville, Mo.; to Sibley, Mo.
- 345-kV line from Valliant, Okla., to Texarkana, Texas
- New equipment in Tulsa County, Okla.
*This line was originally planned to be built from Comanche County, Kan., to Woodward, Okla. This line modification was approved by SPP's Board of Directors in October 2010.
In June 2010 the Board of Directors authorized SPP staff to issue Notifications to Construct the projects.
The idea for Priority Projects was developed by the Synergistic Planning Project Team, a high-level policy team consisting of state regulators and SPP member representatives that was created in January 2009. The SPPT focused on recommendations for creating a robust, flexible and cost-effective transmission system for the region, large enough in both scale and geography to meet SPP's future needs.
Development of Priority Projects was one major recommendation of the SPPT; the others were to develop an Integrated Transmission Planning process that improves and integrates SPP's existing transmission planning processes and to implement a new Highway/Byway cost allocation methodology to pay for new transmission in the region.