The Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC) will hold a virtual public hearing on March 5 at 6 p.m. to inform Evergy Kansas customers about three proposed energy projects: two gas-fired power plants and a solar facility.
One gas plant is planned near Evergy’s Viola Substation in Sumner County, the other near Hutchinson in Reno County, while the Kansas Sky solar facility would be in Douglas County. The hearing will also allow public comments.
Evergy has requested KCC’s approval to recover investment costs, including construction expenses. The solar facility is expected to be operational by late 2026, with the gas plants following in 2029 and 2030.
Last year Evergy announced a proposal to build two new baseload natural gas power plants and additional solar energy in Kansas. The two new natural gas plants will be the first baseload 24/7 generation plants built since the Wolf Creek nuclear plant was commissioned in 1985. These new gas plants are needed to ensure Kansas has the energy necessary to reliably power its economy well into the future and to serve the needs of customers by increasing generation capacity in times of high demand.
Evergy also has a rate hike request filed last month to increase rates by $196 million for its Evergy Kansas Central service area, which includes approximately 735,000 customers in Topeka, Pittsburg, Wichita and other communities Evergy serves in the eastern third of Kansas. If the Commission approved the full amount requested, the average residential bill would increase about $13.05 (10.36%) per month (based on average residential household usage of about 900 kWh per month).
To participate via Zoom and comment, registration is required by noon on March 4. Those who only wish to watch can view a live stream on the KCC YouTube channel, with a recording available later. Written comments will be accepted until 5 p.m. on April 7 via the KCC website, mail, or phone.
