Evergy facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Evergy, Inc.

Type	Public
Traded as	NASDAQ: EVRG S&P 500 component
Industry	Electric utility
Predecessor	Company formed with mergers from Kansas Gas and Electric (KGE) & Kansas Power and Light (KPL) in 1992; Aquila (ILA) & Kansas City Power and Light (GXP) in 2008; Westar Energy (WR) and Kansas City Power and Light (GXP) in 2018.
Founded	1882; 143 years ago (1882)
Headquarters	Topeka, Kansas, (admin. offices) Kansas City, Missouri, (corporate)
Area served	Western half of Missouri and eastern half of Kansas 1.7 million customers
Key people	David Campbell (CEO)
Products	Electricity generation Electric power transmission Electricity distribution
Revenue	US$5.148 billion (2019) US$4.276 billion (2018)
Number of employees	4,658 (December 31, 2023)

Evergy, Inc. is a large American company that provides electricity to homes and businesses. It is an investor-owned utility, which means people can buy parts of the company, called stocks. Its main offices are in Topeka, Kansas, and Kansas City, Missouri.

Evergy was created when two big power companies, Westar Energy and Great Plains Energy, joined together. Today, Evergy is the biggest electric company in Kansas. It serves more than 1.7 million customers in both Kansas and Missouri.

The company uses over 40 power plants to create 16,000 megawatts of electricity. Its service area is huge, covering about 28,130 square miles (72,900 km²). To get power to everyone, Evergy uses more than 10,100 miles (16,300 km) of large transmission lines and 52,000 miles (84,000 km) of smaller distribution lines.

The History of Evergy

Evergy was formed by combining two older companies, each with its own long history.

Westar Energy's Story

Westar Energy's main office building in downtown Topeka, Kansas.

Westar Energy started in 1992 when two major electric companies in Kansas merged. These were Kansas Gas and Electric (KG&E) from Wichita and Kansas Power and Light (KPL) from Topeka.

KG&E was founded way back in 1909. It grew quickly and soon provided electricity to 50 towns. It also supplied natural gas to some cities.

KPL was founded in 1924 and served northeastern Kansas. In 1983, it joined with a natural gas company.

When KPL and KG&E merged in 1992, they became Western Resources. This new company was one of the biggest in the Midwest. It served over 560,000 electric customers and more than a million natural gas customers. A few years later, the company sold its natural gas business to focus on electricity. In 2002, the company officially changed its name to Westar Energy.

Kansas City Power & Light's Story

The historic Kansas City Power and Light Building was once the company's headquarters. It is a famous landmark in the downtown Kansas City Power & Light District.

In 2010, former U.S. President Barack Obama visited a factory that made electric trucks for KCP&L.

Kansas City Power & Light (KCP&L) provided electricity to the Kansas City metropolitan area. It was the main part of a larger company called Great Plains Energy.

KCP&L's history began in 1881. A man named Joseph S. Chick got the rights to use a new arc lighting system. In 1882, the first power plant was built, and it started lighting up 13 businesses in downtown Kansas City.

Over the years, the company grew, bought other smaller companies, and built new power plants. For a while, it was even involved in running the city's trolley cars. In 1922, it officially became the Kansas City Power & Light Company.

In 1950, KCP&L became an independent company. It helped build the Wolf Creek Nuclear Generating Station, a nuclear power plant in Burlington, Kansas. In 2001, a new parent company called Great Plains Energy was formed to own KCP&L.

How Evergy Was Created

In 2016, Great Plains Energy (the owner of KCP&L) and Westar Energy announced they wanted to merge into one company. At first, government regulators said no. They were worried the deal would not be good for the customers in Kansas.

So, the companies came up with a new plan in 2017. This time, the plan was approved in 2018 by regulators in both Missouri and Kansas. The new, combined company was named Evergy.

On October 7, 2019, the old names of KCP&L and Westar were retired. The company began using the Evergy name everywhere it provided service. In 2022, Evergy moved its stock listing to the Nasdaq, a major stock exchange.

Where Evergy Gets Its Power

Evergy uses many different types of power plants to generate electricity for its customers. This mix of energy sources helps make sure the power is reliable.

• Nuclear Power:
  • Wolf Creek Nuclear Generating Station in Burlington, Kansas

• Coal and Gas Power Plants:
  • La Cygne Generating Station in La Cygne, Kansas
  • Lawrence Energy Center in Lawrence, Kansas
  • Jeffrey Energy Center in St. Marys, Kansas
  • Hawthorn Generating Station in Kansas City, Mo
  • Iatan Generating Station in Weston, Missouri
  • State Line Combined Cycle Plant in Joplin, Missouri
  • Tecumseh Energy Center in Tecumseh, Kansas

• Wind Farms:
  • Central Plains Wind Farm in Leoti, Kansas
  • Flat Ridge Wind Energy in Nashville, Kansas
  • Meridian Way Wind Farm in Concordia, Kansas
  • Western Plains Wind Farm in Ford County, Kansas

• Energy Centers (usually natural gas):
  • Abilene Energy Center in Abilene, Kansas
  • Emporia Energy Center in Emporia, Kansas
  • Gordon Evans Energy Center in Colwich, Kansas
  • Hutchinson Energy Center in Hutchinson, Kansas
  • Murray Gill Energy Center in Wichita, Kansas
  • Spring Creek Energy Center in Logan County, Oklahoma

• Other Energy Sources:
  • Rolling Meadows Landfill Gas to Energy Plant in Topeka, Kansas (This plant captures gas from trash to make electricity.)

Awards and Recognition

Evergy has been recognized for being a good company to work for.

• In 2019, it was named one of the "Healthiest 100 Workplaces in America."
• Also in 2019, Forbes magazine listed Evergy as one of America's "Best Top 500 Employers."