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ITC GREAT PLAINS, MID-KANSAS ELECTRIC COMPANY RECEIVE SITING APPROVAL FOR THEIR PORTION OF THE ELM CREEK-SUMMIT TRANSMISSION LINE PROJECT

ITC Great Plains, LLC and Mid-Kansas Electric

Company, LLC (Mid-Kansas) today received siting approval from the Kansas Corporation

Commission (KCC) for their portion of the Elm Creek-to-Summit high-voltage electric

transmission line project in north central Kansas.

“The Elm Creek-to-Summit project will benefit residents and businesses in north central

Kansas and the broader region by reducing congestion across the transmission network

and improving the reliability and efficiency of the grid,” said Kristine Schmidt, president,

ITC Great Plains. “This project reinforces ITC’s long-term commitment to helping Kansas

secure its energy future. It also demonstrates that our partnership approach to

transmission development provides exceptional value to utilities and their members in the

regions they serve.”

The 60-mile, 345-kilovolt transmission line will connect the ITC Great Plains Elm Creek

Substation, approximately four miles northwest of Aurora, to Westar Energy’s Summit

Substation, located about five miles northeast of Assaria. ITC Great Plains, in partnership

with Mid-Kansas, will construct the northern half of the line in Cloud and Ottawa counties

and co-own and operate this section of the line with Mid-Kansas. Westar Energy will build,

own and operate the southern half of the line. The project also will involve upgrades at

both substations.

“As a cooperatively operated company, Mid-Kansas continues to seek ways to serve our

six member-owners that provide electricity to approximately 200,000 people in central and

western Kansas,” said Stuart Lowry, president and CEO of Mid-Kansas. “Through our

partnership with ITC, the Elm Creek-to-Summit project will benefit our members and the

region improving transmission reliability and facilitating the regional energy market.”

In December 2012 following a routing study, ITC, Mid-Kansas and Westar presented

several route alternatives to potentially affected landowners during community open house

events in each county along the route. Input from landowners was analyzed, and certain

route adjustments where feasible were made. ITC Great Plains and Mid-Kansas filed a

route application with the KCC on May 3, 2013.

Right-of-way acquisition and engineering design are tentatively scheduled for 2013-2015,

followed by construction in 2015 and 2016. The line will be energized shortly thereafter.