Archive for category: General Information

As part of the Department of Energy’s goal to improve grid resilience the Kansas Corporation Commission has received a grant for small utilities to apply for.  The primary goal of the program is to demonstrate measurable improvements in energy resilience, with a focus to necessary and supporting grid modernization investments in rural, underserved, and disadvantaged communities, to invest in modernized grid infrastructure and to create good-paying jobs.

The current amount that is available to small utilities in this round of funding is $13,313,126 with future amounts of $6,647,000 available over the next 3 fiscal years.

This grant does have a cost match portion which typically will be up to 48% of the project cost.  The state of Kansas does have funds that can be utilized to help with these matching funds through the Build Kansas Fund.  These funds are specifically designed to help organizations leverage local dollars and to support infrastructure projects within Kansas.  Please follow the link for further details on that program. Build Kansas Fund Overview — Kansas Infrastructure Hub (kshub.org)

The Grid Resilience Grant, commonly known as the 40-101 (D) program does have a deadline of 5 pm ct. on December 29^th.  Please follow the link for full details on the program and application directions. Kansas Corporation Commission – Formula Grant for Preventing Outages and Enhancing the Resilience of the Electric Grid (ks.gov)

If you should have any questions regarding these programs, please contact Tyson McGreer, Manager Member Services at mcgreer@kmea.com or 913-660-0235.

 

On the evening of Thursday, October 24^th, the city of Osawatomie began experiencing troubles at the power plant substation.  After a full diagnosis of the problem, it was determined that the substation transformer was damaged, and a replacement was needed.  With the cooperation of city staff and KMEA/Mid-States a replacement transformer was located in Garden City.  To meet the urgent need, the City of Garden City quickly approved the sale of the transformer and began efforts to load and transport it to Osawatomie Thursday evening.

“The leadership shown by the City of Osawatomie to reach out and the responsiveness of the City of Garden City’s Electric Department staff is a testament to the value of the public power community, in general, and, more specifically, it is a testament to the value of being a member of KMEA.” Says Matt Allen, City Manager, Garden City.

According to Osawatomie’s City Manager Bret Glendening, the oversized load permit for travel at night was obtained in approximately 4 hours, which has to be at, or near a record to allow for legal transport of the 70,000 lb. load.

The transformer arrived in Osawatomie around 8 am on Friday morning. Work began immediately, preparing a new gravel road to get the transformer up an 11% grade to its permanent location.  With the coordinated work of the city, KMEA Mid-States, and Bardroff Heavy Hauling, the transformer was positioned, hooked up, and delivering power to the affected 300 meters by 12:30 am on Saturday.  In the worst case some customers were without power for seventy-six hours.

“Without the fast work of city employees, KMEA, and Garden City, the situation likely would have lasted much longer.  The cooperation between municipal utilities and the strong connections and expertise from KMEA Mid-States was paramount in the completion of this emergency project” says Glendening.

Bill Johnson, the General Manager for Kansas City BPU was the recipient of the award this year. Bill was appointed General Manager of Kansas City BPU on April 1, 2019. He has over 40 years of diverse utility experience into this executive leadership role. His responsibilities include serving as the Chief Executive Officer for the largest municipal electric and water utility in the State of Kansas. He earned an MBA from Ottawa University in 2007.

Representatives from the Cities of Garden City, Gardner, Lindsborg, Ottawa, and Russell toured the Dogwood facility on September 21^st. Dogwood is a 650 MW, natural gas fired, combined-cycle facility located in Pleasant Hill, Missouri

In 2017, KMEA entered into an asset purchase agreement with Dogwood Energy LLC for the purchase of a 10.1% ownership interest (approximately 62 megawatts) in the Dogwood Energy facility on behalf of the five cities mentioned above.  Through this arrangement those cities were able to join forces to secure a life-of-unit, reliable and economic power supply resource for each of their communities. The project began providing energy to the five cities on March 30, 2018.

Following the tour a Dogwood Project Participants Committee Meeting was held at KMEA’s office.

On September 19,2023 Governor Laura Kelly, alongside the Kansas Infrastructure Hub (KIH), announced the launch of the Build Kansas Fund, which provides state matching dollars to Kansas communities for infrastructure projects approved under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).

The Build Kansas Fund will invest $200 million directly into Kansas communities to support projects that include water, transportation, energy, cybersecurity, and broadband through Fiscal Year 2027.

“The Build Kansas Fund makes it possible for communities across the state to seize the tremendous opportunities provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law,” Governor Kelly said. “These matching dollars empower our local leaders to forge ahead with projects that will grow our economy, connect people and businesses to high-speed internet, and build safer infrastructure that improves life for all Kansans.”

Governor Kelly announced the creation of the KIH in 2022 to ensure Kansas has an effective and efficient distribution of the funds received from BIL. The Kansas Infrastructure Hub, a coordinating body comprised of representatives from the Kansas Departments of Administration, Agriculture, Commerce, Health and Environment and Transportation, along with the Kansas Corporation Commission and the Kansas Water Office, will manage the Build Kansas Fund, offering technical assistance, tracking funds, and promoting grant opportunities.

“The Kansas Infrastructure Hub has been working diligently to unite cross-sector stakeholders around Kansas’ infrastructure priorities,” said Calvin Reed, Secretary of the Kansas Department of Transportation. “We look forward to supporting Build Kansas Fund applicants as they strive to optimize their BIL projects’ potential.”

Eligible entities include Kansas state agencies, counties, municipalities, special districts, community organizations, nonprofits, and federally recognized tribes that have or intend to apply for a federal BIL program requiring a non-federal match.

The Build Kansas Fund Application is live. Entities can apply via the Kansas Infrastructure Hub website at: https://kshub.org/ks-infrastructure-hub-build

To learn more about the Kansas Infrastructure Hub, visit: kshub.org