Westar's Western Plains Windfarm Begins Operations in Kansas

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--The 280-megawatt (MW) Western Plains Wind project, which is located in Spearville, Kansas, began commercial operations earlier this month following its completion by Westar Energy Incorporated (NYSE:WR) (Topeka, Kansas) and Infinity Renewables (Santa Barbara, California).

The windfarm has 122 Siemens wind turbines and will sell energy under a 20-year power purchase agreement. The energy is enough to power more than 200,000 homes each year. Westar's total renewable energy capacity has increased to more than 1,500 MW, including the Western Plains windfarm.

The project site was chosen due to the strong wind resources in the Ford County area of Kansas. Construction was completed by M.A. Mortenson Company (Minneapolis, Minnesota). More than 200 craft workers were employed during the construction, which lasted 10 months. The project had a total investment of $435 million, and Westar Energy will be responsible for operations and maintenance of the windfarm.

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