A western Kansas utility won a major battle Thursday in its bid to build two coal-fired power plants.

The Senate passed a bill allowing Sunflower Electric Power Corp. to go forward with its plants outside Holcomb, in Finney County. The $3.6 billion project has been blocked since October by Gov. Kathleen Sebelius’ administration over potential carbon dioxide emissions.

Sebelius has strongly criticized the Senate bill, which passed 33-7, six more votes than the two-thirds majority necessary to override a veto.

The bill went to the House, which plans to debate its own measure early next week. The major difference in the two bills is that the House requires utilities to generate 10 percent of their electricity with renewable resources, such as wind, by 2010 and 25 percent by 2025.

Earl Watkins Jr., Sunflower’s chief executive officer, watched from the Senate gallery Thursday.

“Clearly we are very pleased with the fact that this legislation has taken a major step forward,” Watkins told reporters.