KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP)--Ford County will be home to the third-largest wind farm in the state under a plan announced Dec. 13.

Kansas City Power & Light, a subsidiary of Great Plains Energy, said enXco Inc., based in Palm Springs, Calif., has been selected to build the 100.5-megawatt facility north of Spearville.

The $160 million facility, KCP&L's first wind-powered generation project, is scheduled to be in service by October 2006. Consisting of 67 turbines spread over 5,000 acres, the wind farm will be capable of providing electricity for 33,000 homes.

A recently completed plant near the southeast Kansas town of Beaumont has the capacity to produce 150 megawatts for Empire District Electric Co. of Joplin, Mo. The 112-megawatt Montezuma wind farm, owned by FPL Group Inc., of Juno Beach, Fla., has been operating since December 2001, providing electricity to consumers in Kansas and Missouri.

"Renewable energy is an important component of our comprehensive plan to meet the growing energy needs of the Kansas City area," said Mike Chesser, chairman and chief executive officer of Great Plains Energy.

Gov. Kathleen Sebelius applauded the company's efforts to develop renewable energy sources.

"Kansas is one of the top wind-producing states in the country, and KCP&L's investment in this project is a giant step toward Kansas harnessing our considerable renewable energy resources, while safeguarding the environment," she said.

Ron Klataske, executive director of Audubon of Kansas, has spoken out against other wind projects but praised the Spearville project.

"The site does not include irreplaceable native prairie landscapes, wetlands or other critical wildlife habitats," Klataske said. "It does not appear to be located in a major migratory bird concentration or 'thoroughfare' area, will not substantially degrade important grassland bird nesting areas, and will not adversely impact any of the state's most acclaimed scenic resources."

The Sierra Club in Missouri remains opposed to the 850-megawatt coal-fired plant that KCP&L plans to build near Weston, but it supports the Spearville wind facility.

"We would encourage them to do more of that," said Wallace McMullen, the group's clean-air chairman.

KCP&L is considering a second 100-megawatt wind farm, but Chesser said no decision on that had been made.