KCP&L increases its stake in wind power

Kansas City Power & Light Co. is adding to its wind energy program.

On Thursday, the utility company said it had purchased an additional 500 megawatts of power from two new wind facilities in the company’s service region. That’s enough wind energy to power up to 170,000 homes, the company said.

KCP&L did not disclose financial details, but president and chief executive Terry Bassham described the transaction as a “significant investment in renewable energy that will benefit our customers and the region.”

One 200 megawatt wind farm is being constructed by NextEra Energy Resources in DeKalb County, Mo., east of St. Joseph. It is expected to be operating by the end of 2016, the utility said.

The other 300 megawatt farm is being developed by Tradewind Energy in Atchison County, Mo., near Tarkio. It should be operational by September 2017.

KCPL said these two projects are the first wind facilities in its Missouri service territory.

Both projects will connect directly to the Midwest Transmission Project transmission line to deliver the electricity, the company said.

Once the new wind facilities are operational, KCP&L said its total wind energy system will climb to nearly 1,400 megawatts.

KCP&L said it has 20-year agreements with the wind farm developers.

This story was originally published April 7, 2016 at 6:20 PM with the headline "KCP&L increases its stake in wind power."