Transmission and the Onrushing Energy Transition, The View from Kansas

Kansas, in the heart of America’s robust wind belt, has approved
a new direct current transmission corridor to help speed the
transition to cleaner energy. 


In this episode of Grid Talk, host Marty Rosenberg talks with
Andrew French, the chairman of the Kansas Corporation Commission.


“Kansas actually approved a permit for the Grain Belt Express DC
line to extend all the way across our state and all the way to
Indiana,” said French.


It comes at a time of increased demand for energy - particularly
non-carbon emitting sources. French acknowledges that navigating
the regulatory and permitting process is difficult.


“Right now, you’re looking at a few years to get new generation
online and it’s a tough spot. You’ve got a lot of customers that
want power.”


“This is a complex industry even for developers that are very
sophisticated. As they’re developing a wind farm, a solar farm,
some other generation source, it’s really hard for them to
anticipate how much it’s going to cost for them to interconnect,”
the Kansas regulator said. 


He’s also optimistic about the future.


“There are a lot of things moving in the direction of a
successful energy transition. There are also a lot of things
standing in the way or complications. There is of course, public
sentiment that doesn’t understand some of the reasons why we may
have need to build new infrastructure and transition to different
resources.”


Andrew J. French was appointed to the KCC in 2020. He has served
as Chairperson since 2021.


French currently serves as the Kansas representative to the
Southwest Power Pool and regularly participates in various SPP
stakeholder groups. He is also one of 10 state utility regulators
selected to serve on the Joint Federal-State Task Force on
Electric Transmission formed in 2021.


Before his appointment to the KCC, French practiced law with a
focus on energy policy and the regulation of utility rates and
services. 


French has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Environmental Studies
from the University of Kansas and a Juris Doctor degree from the
University of Kansas School of Law.