The Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC) last week granted a siting permit for NextEra Energy (NYSE:NEE) Transmission (NEET) Southwest’s preferred route for the Wolf Creek-Blackberry 94-mile, 345-kV project, clearing the way for construction to begin.

The KCC said in a May 24 order that NEET Southwest had “met the requirements” for the siting permit, subject to an alternative reroute, micro siting — i.e., minor modifications to the route and infrastructure placement — and other small modifications agreed upon with a landowner (23-NETE-585-STG).

“The [c]ommission finds that the method that NEET Southwest used to select its route and the route proposed by NEET Southwest are reasonable and that the siting permit requested by NEET Southwest complies with all statutory requirements and should be granted,” the KCC wrote. It said the project “is needed and will have a beneficial effect on customers by lowering overall energy costs, removing inefficiency, relieving transmission congestion, and improving the reliability of the transmission system.”

The agency last August issued NEET Southwest a limited certificate of convenience and necessity as a transmission-owning utility for the 94-mile, single-circuit project, which will run from the Wolf Creek Generating Station in Kansas southeast into Missouri. In December, the Missouri Public Service Commission granted Southwest a CCN for the project’s nine-mile portion in Missouri. (See “Missouri PSC Grants CCN for NextEra Project,” MISO, SPP Fall Short in 5th Try for Interregional Projects.)

The project has received pushback from landowners and other critics who say the power will be shipped out of state. Florida-based NextEra is already in county district court litigation over its utility status in Kansas. The company expects the project to be in service by the end of 2024, barring any legal setbacks.

SPP granted the competitive project in 2021 to NEET Southwest over six other bids. The NextEra Energy subsidiary estimated the project will cost $85.2 million. (See “Expert Panel Awards Competitive Project to NextEra Energy Transmission,” SPP Board of Directors/Members Committee Briefs: Oct. 26, 2021.)

Commissioner Andrew French, who sits on SPP’s Regional State Committee comprised of state regulators, joined KCC Chair Susan Duffy in the 2-1 decision. The commission noted a need for SPP to allow state involvement earlier in projects’ design process and said it intended to investigate the principles and priorities for future siting dockets.