Mid-Kansas Electric Co. LLC signed a 25-year agreement to purchase the entire output of Lightsource BP's planned 20-MW solar project in Stanton County, Kan.

Lightsource BP, a developer of solar and storage projects, will provide capital requirements for project financing and construction. The company will build, own and operate the project upon completion. Construction is expected to begin in early 2019, according to a Feb. 27 press release.

The project is expected to defer or eliminate the need for an upgrade on the Mid-Kansas transmission system by reducing load on a transmission line that is nearing full capacity, the company said.

Mid-Kansas, an affiliate of Sunflower Electric Power Corp., is a cooperatively operated wholesale generation and transmission utility serving members across the state of Kansas.

London-based Lightsource BP recently entered a partnership with BP Plc to pursue solar deployments globally. It is actively developing projects for cooperative, municipal and investor-owned utilities throughout the United States.