Project: The Grande Prairie Wind Farm Final Environmental Impact Statement Proponent: Grande Prairie Wind, LLC Agency: Western Area Power Administration Purpose and Need Statements from the Final EIS: NEPA Trigger Regulatory Authority “Purpose and Need for Agency Action Grande Prairie Wind requests to interconnect its proposed Project with Western’s Transmission System at Western's Fort Thompson to Grand Island transmission line. Western’s purpose and need is to consider and respond to the interconnection request in accordance with its Open Access Transmission Tariff (Tariff) and the Federal Power Act. Agency P&N Under the Tariff, Western offers capacity on its transmission system to deliver electricity when capacity is available. The Tariff also contains terms for processing requests for the interconnection of generation facilities to Western’s transmission system. In reviewing interconnection requests, Western must ensure that existing reliability and service is not degraded. Western’s Tariff provides for transmission and system studies to ensure that system reliability and service to existing customers are not adversely affected by new interconnections. These studies also identify system upgrades or additions necessary to accommodate the proposed Project and address whether the upgrades/additions are within the project scope. Grande Prairie Wind’s Purpose and Need Grande Prairie Wind, LLC is a Delaware Limited Liability Company formed as a single purpose entity to construct, own, operate and maintain the proposed Project. Proponent Purpose and Need Technical Information Description of Proponent The Project is being proposed in order to meet the growing demand for energy production from clean, environmentally friendly, renewable sources. The specific Project location was selected after a series of wind resource, transmission, and desktop environmental fatal flaw analyses (e.g. reviewing protected species habitat) indicated that the area north and east of O’Neill in Holt County could support a 400-MW wind farm. Continuous study of the wind resource since 2008 has proven this Project area to be one of Nebraska’s premier wind development sites, thereby allowing the proposed Project to compete with projects in other States. The Project has a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Omaha Public Power District for all 400 MWs.” Interconnection details