A regional group on Tuesday reversed its decision to downgrade a high-voltage power line Kansas deems crucial for its wind industry. </p><p>The power line in southwest Kansas had been on the list of priority projects for the Southwest Power Pool, the quasi-governmental body that oversees part of the country&rsquo;s electric grid in several states, including all or part of it in Kansas and Missouri. However, one of the group&rsquo;s committees recently removed it from the list and replaced it with a high-voltage line in Oklahoma. </p><p>But the Southwest Power Pool&rsquo;s board of directors, in a meeting Tuesday in Tulsa, once again made the Kansas line a priority. The decision was smoothed in part by a compromise that the 765,000-volt line will be operated at about half that capacity, at least initially. That will reduce its cost by about $200 million &mdash; to $518 million &mdash; while still being large enough to allow the state to export wind energy.</p><p>&ldquo;It puts us back in the game,&rdquo; said Kelly Hanson, vice president of transmission operations for Westar Energy and president of Prairie Wind, a partner in the power line.</p><p>The regional group&rsquo;s board of directors said in a statement that the six projects now on its priority list, including the Kansas power line, would continue to be analyzed until another board meeting in January. It added that the benefits of all the projects were expected to exceed their costs over their lifetimes, an important conclusion in proceeding with the projects. </p><p>Although the line will initially be operated at 345,000 volts, key components will be built to handle the higher voltage. The transmission towers will allow for a relatively easy upgrade if a decision is made to go to 765,000 volts if sales of wind energy grow to a level that Kansas officials expect.</p><p>The decision to take the line off the priority list had produced a quick reaction from Kansas officials, including Gov. Mark Parkinson and U.S. Rep. Jerry Moran, a Hays Republican. Both had urged the Southwest Power Pool to reconsider and reacted positively to Tuesday&rsquo;s decision.</p><p>Moran said he still found it &ldquo;difficult to understand&rdquo; why the committee had previously removed it from the list. Parkinson said his administration &ldquo;remains committed to seeing its ultimate approval in January.&rdquo;</p><p><hr class="infobox-hr-separator" /> <div class="infobox"> <strong><span class="infobox-head">Stimulating </span></strong><br /> The Obama administration dishes out $3.4 billion for smart grid projects, including one Westar Energy proposed for Lawrence. <strong>| A12</strong></p><p></div>