Kansas City, Mo. ? Ford County will be home to the third-largest wind farm in the state under a plan announced Tuesday.

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 facility, KCP&L’s first wind-powered generation project, is scheduled to be in service by October 2006.

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.

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.”