SMOKY HILLS WIND PROJECT PHASE I
OperatingWind power plant
- Capacity
- 101 MW
- Primary fuel
- Wind
- County
- Lincoln County
- Operator
- SMOKY HILLS WIND FARM I LLC
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 2008
- EIA plant ID
- 56488
- Generators
- 1
- Technology
- Onshore Wind Turbine
- Net generation (2024)
- 251 GWh
- Capacity factor (2024, EIA nameplate)
- 28%
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 38.8869, -98.1178
SMOKY HILLS WIND PROJECT PHASE I, a 101 MW Wind power plant in Lincoln County, Kansas. Operated by SMOKY HILLS WIND FARM I LLC, commissioned 2008.
How SMOKY HILLS WIND PROJECT PHASE I compares
With 101 MW of capacity, SMOKY HILLS WIND PROJECT PHASE I ranks 31st among the 115 operating power plants Bywatts maps in Kansas and 14th of the 21 operating Wind plants in the state. It accounts for about 3.7% of Kansas's operating Wind capacity and 0.7% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 237th-largest of the 708 operating Wind plants in the database. Commissioned in 2008, it is newer than 75% of the 113 operating Kansas plants with a recorded commissioning year. It shares Lincoln County with 2 other operating plants, SMOKY HILLS WIND PROJECT PHASE II and LINCOLN.
EIA-860 lists 1 generator at the site with 101 MW of nameplate capacity, all onshore wind turbine technology. Net generation was 251 GWh in 2024 (a 28% capacity factor), down 22% from 2022.
Grid neighborhood
The closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 230 kV line owned by WESTAR ENERGY INC, about 2.8 miles away. Another 3 operating power plants totaling 360 MW sit within 25 miles; the largest is POST ROCK WIND POWER PROJECT, LLC (201 MW, Wind).
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
SMOKY HILLS WIND PROJECT PHASE I is a 101 MW wind power plant in Lincoln County, KS, operated by SMOKY HILLS WIND FARM I LLC, commissioned in 2008. Lincoln County carries critical modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 4.6 of 5 at the 91st national percentile. Ice storm is the leading peril, rated Relatively High by FEMA at the 99th 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.
Lincoln County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ice storm | Relatively High | 99th | 4.9 of 5 | 0.94 |
| Heat wave | Very Low | 98th | 4.9 of 5 | 9.2 |
| Winter weather | Relatively Low | 91st | 4.7 of 5 | 12.6 |
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | 91st | 4.6 of 5 | 9.0 |
| Strong wind | Relatively Low | 88th | 4.5 of 5 | 5.6 |
| Tornado | Relatively Low | 81st | 4.3 of 5 | 0.75 |
| Riverine flooding | Very Low | 73rd | 3.9 of 5 | 0.82 |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 70th | 3.8 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Lightning | Very Low | 66th | 3.6 of 5 | 46.9 |
| Earthquake | Very Low | 18th | 1.7 of 5 | <0.01 |
Perils not assessed in Lincoln 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 "No Rating" for this county |
| Coastal flooding | FEMA rating is "Not Applicable" for this county |
Model hail, wind and flood exposure for Lincoln 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.