CENTRAL PLAINS WIND FARM
OperatingWind power plant
- Capacity
- 99 MW
- Primary fuel
- Wind
- County
- Wichita County
- Operator
- WESTAR ENERGY INC
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 2009
- EIA plant ID
- 56818
- Generators
- 1
- Technology
- Onshore Wind Turbine
- Net generation (2024)
- 102 GWh
- Capacity factor (2024, EIA nameplate)
- 12%
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 38.4973, -101.1281
CENTRAL PLAINS WIND FARM, a 99 MW Wind power plant in Wichita County, Kansas. Operated by WESTAR ENERGY INC, commissioned 2009.
How CENTRAL PLAINS WIND FARM compares
With 99 MW of capacity, CENTRAL PLAINS WIND FARM ranks 32nd among the 115 operating power plants Bywatts maps in Kansas and 15th of the 21 operating Wind plants in the state. It accounts for about 3.6% of Kansas's operating Wind capacity and 0.7% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 261st-largest of the 708 operating Wind plants in the database. Commissioned in 2009, it is newer than 80% of the 113 operating Kansas plants with a recorded commissioning year. Its operator, WESTAR ENERGY INC, runs 6 operating plants in Kansas totaling 4,079 MW.
EIA-860 lists 1 generator at the site with 99 MW of nameplate capacity, all onshore wind turbine technology. Net generation was 102 GWh in 2024 (a 12% capacity factor), down 35% from 2022.
Grid neighborhood
The closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 115 kV line owned by MIDWEST ENERGY INC, under 0.1 miles away.
Computed by Bywatts from HIFLD power plant and transmission line records and EIA-860/923 survey data; distances are straight-line. Sources and methodology
Weather peril exposure
CENTRAL PLAINS WIND FARM is a 99 MW wind power plant in Wichita County, KS, operated by WESTAR ENERGY INC, commissioned in 2009. Wichita County carries critical modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 4.7 of 5 at the 91st national percentile. Hail is the leading peril, rated Relatively Moderate by FEMA at the 93rd percentile.
The Bywatts loss layer is calibrated to solar PV hardware, so it is not applied to a wind plant. The ratings below are the FEMA National Risk Index county hazard ratings for this location.
Wichita County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | 93rd | 4.7 of 5 | 8.4 |
| Winter weather | Relatively Low | 92nd | 4.7 of 5 | 10.8 |
| Strong wind | Very Low | 85th | 4.4 of 5 | 4.1 |
| Heat wave | Very Low | 76th | 4.0 of 5 | 0.95 |
| Tornado | Very Low | 70th | 3.8 of 5 | 0.72 |
| Riverine flooding | Very Low | 53rd | 3.1 of 5 | 0.54 |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 38th | 2.5 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Lightning | Very Low | 34th | 2.4 of 5 | 44.8 |
| Ice storm | Very Low | 28th | 2.1 of 5 | 0.19 |
| Earthquake | Very Low | 26th | 2.0 of 5 | <0.01 |
Perils not assessed in Wichita County
These perils carry no usable National Risk Index figure for this county, so they are excluded from the scoring rather than scored zero. A zero would claim the peril was assessed and found benign.
| Peril | Why it is not scored |
|---|---|
| Hurricane | FEMA rating is "Not Applicable" for this county |
| Coastal flooding | FEMA rating is "Not Applicable" for this county |
Model hail, wind and flood exposure for Wichita County in the weather risk calculator
Ratings are the FEMA National Risk Index county hazard ratings; the peril score is a Bywatts transform of the FEMA national percentile. Full data sources and the solar vulnerability methodology are in the weather risk calculator.
Modeled estimate for screening and negotiation. Built from FEMA National Risk Index county hazard data and a solar vulnerability layer documented above. Not a quote, a binder, or actuarial advice, and not a substitute for a carrier's own model. Hazard data: FEMA National Risk Index December 2025, synced 2026-07-24. Resolution is county level, not site level.