Kansas Corporation Commission
Evergy’s Kansas customers with solar panels will get refund for unconstitutional fees
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Evergy customers with solar panels on their homes will get refunds in the coming weeks for the unconstitutional charges the electric utility required them to pay. The Kansas Corporation Commission earlier this week approved an order modifying rates for Evergy’s customers on the Kansas side of the Kansas City metro, meant […]
As economic impact of winter storm nears $1B, some large Kansas customers want to investigate
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The total cost from a more than week-long cold snap that brought the Midwest power supply to the brink of collapse is nearly $1 billion — and growing. The greatest breakdown during the storm, which forced controlled electrical blackouts in Kansas and Missouri, industry groups have said, was natural gas, which […]
Customers of Kansas’ largest natural gas utility could pay cold snap costs for 10 years
Customers of Kansas’ largest natural gas utility could be paying off costs from February’s deep freeze for the next 10 years, the company revealed Friday. The Kansas Gas Service, which serves more than 640,000 Kansas customers, filed plans with regulators to issue securitized bonds for approximately $390 million in extraordinary costs from the cold snap […]
Black Hills monthly bills could go up $14.50 under requests filed with Kansas regulators
Black Hills Energy customers could have to pay another $14.50 per month under two separate rate hikes the company has proposed to Kansas regulators. The natural gas utility, which serves more than 117,000 Kansas customers in 50 counties, filed in May with the Kansas Corporation Commission for a $10.2 million increase to customers’ base rates […]
Fuel shortages drove February blackouts, Southwest Power Pool investigators find
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Rolling outages that left thousands without power in February were driven overwhelmingly by fuel shortages — especially in natural gas, executives with the Southwest Power Pool said Monday. This winter, sustained frigid temperatures across the Midwest and South forced huge demand for energy while the weather made generators struggle to keep up. […]
After winter storm, some Evergy customers could see savings while others pay for years
Evergy customers in parts of Missouri may be repaying electric costs for the next 15 years following February’s winter storm that forced power outages across the Midwest. Kansas City-area customers in both Kansas and Missouri, however, could see savings. In February, Winter Storm Uri caused sustained cold temperatures across much of the central United States, […]
Consumer watchdog wants feds to acknowledge investors’ influence on Evergy expenses
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A consumer watchdog wants federal regulators to acknowledge the influence of activist shareholders on Evergy’s decision-making, mirroring a local push that Kansas regulators rejected. Public Citizen, a 40-year-old nonprofit representing consumers, is pushing the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to recognize two investment firms as part of Evergy, arguing last year that […]
After winter cold snap drove up natural gas prices, utilities grapple with who should pay
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Penalties that Spire Missouri issued to suppliers who failed to provide natural gas during a February cold snap that forced power outages across the Midwest could drive bills for hospitals, schools and businesses to astronomical levels, according to a trio of complaints pending before state regulators. During the worst of the […]
Natural gas shortages, high prices helped drive February power outages
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A precipitous drop-off in natural-gas powered electricity, coupled with high demand and other power generation outages, drove the grid instability that forced power outages in Kansas in February, officials with the Southwest Power Pool said Tuesday. Lanny Nickell, SPP’s executive vice president and chief operating officer, appeared before the Kansas Corporation […]
Public can comment on Evergy sustainability plan after critiques over transparency
Members of the public will be allowed to comment on Evergy’s five-year sustainability plan after environmental and consumer advocates criticized regulators’ process as not transparent. The three-member Kansas Corporation Commission voted unanimously Thursday morning to allow public comments on the utility’s “sustainability transformation plan” starting immediately. The public comment period will close July 7. The […]
Evergy earnings shot up following February cold snap that forced blackouts
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Evergy more than doubled its earnings in the first quarter compared to the beginning of 2020, largely due to the profits it made on sky-high wholesale energy prices during a February cold snap that forced it to cut off power to thousands of customers across the region. The utility, which serves […]
Less pollution, lower bills: Kansas, Missouri move ahead on utility securitization
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Utility providers across Kansas and Missouri may soon be able to retire coal-fired power plants faster as the energy sector accelerates its transition to renewable energy sources. Kansas already passed legislation that allows companies to shutter coal plants, which release considerable amounts of carbon dioxide, without the financial hit that would […]