Evergy facts for kids
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| Public | |
| Traded as |
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| 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 |
| Headquarters | Topeka, Kansas, (admin. offices) Kansas City, Missouri, (corporate) |
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Area served
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Western half of Missouri and eastern half of Kansas 1.7 million customers |
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Key people
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David Campbell (CEO) |
| Products | Electricity generation Electric power transmission Electricity distribution |
| Revenue |  $5.148 billion (2019)$4.276 billion (2018) |
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Number of employees
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5,000 |
Evergy, Inc. is a big American company that provides electricity to homes and businesses. It has main offices in Topeka, Kansas, and Kansas City, Missouri.
Evergy was created when two large power companies, Westar Energy and Great Plains Energy, joined together. Great Plains Energy was the parent company of Kansas City Power & Light.
Today, Evergy is the largest electric company in Kansas. It serves over 1.7 million customers in Kansas and Missouri. The company has more than 40 power plants that can make 16,000 megawatts of electricity. Its service area covers about 28,130 square miles (45,270 km²) in eastern Kansas and western Missouri. Evergy also owns many miles of power lines and distribution lines to deliver electricity.
Contents
How Evergy Was Formed
Evergy was created through a series of mergers, which means different companies joined together over time. The two main companies that formed Evergy were Westar Energy and Kansas City Power & Light (KCP&L).
The Story of Westar Energy
Westar Energy used to be called Western Resources. It was formed in 1992 when two big electric companies in eastern Kansas merged. These were Kansas Gas and Electric (KG&E) from Wichita and Kansas Power and Light (KPL) from Topeka.
Kansas Gas and Electric (KG&E)
KG&E started in 1909. It grew quickly and soon provided electricity to many cities and towns. It also supplied natural gas to some larger areas.
Kansas Power and Light (KPL)
KPL began in 1924 and expanded across northeastern Kansas. In 1983, it merged with The Gas Service Company, which provided natural gas in several states.
Western Resources and Westar Energy
When KPL and KG&E merged in 1992, they became Western Resources. This created one of the biggest utility companies in the Midwest. It served many electric and natural gas customers. Later, in 1996, Western Resources sold its natural gas business. In 2002, Western Resources officially changed its name to Westar Energy.
The Story of Kansas City Power & Light
Kansas City Power and Light Company (KCP&L) was an electric company that served the Kansas City metropolitan area. It was a big part of a company called Great Plains Energy.
Early Days of Electricity in Kansas City
In 1881, a man named Joseph S. Chick got the rights to use a special electric lighting system in the Kansas City area. Soon after, in 1882, the Kawsmouth Electric Light Company started building a power plant. On May 13, 1882, they brought electric light to their first customers in downtown Kansas City. The company later changed its name to Kansas City Electric Light Company.
Growth and Changes
Over the years, the company grew and changed. It bought other smaller companies and built new power plants. At one point, it focused on powering trolley cars. In 1917, the company became Kansas City Light & Power Company. In 1919, it changed its name again to Kansas City Power and Light Company. In 1922, it added the "&" to its name, becoming Kansas City Power & Light Company.
KCP&L continued to expand, building large power stations like the Hawthorn Station in 1948. It also helped build the Wolf Creek Nuclear Generating Station. In 2001, a new company called Great Plains Energy Incorporated was formed to own KCP&L.
KCP&L and Westar Join Forces
In 2016, Great Plains Energy (which owned KCP&L) and Westar Energy announced they wanted to merge. However, regulators in Kansas first said no, thinking it might not be good for customers.
A new merger plan was announced in 2017. This time, both the Missouri and Kansas regulators approved the merger in May 2018. The new combined company was named Evergy. KCP&L and Westar continued to operate as parts of Evergy for a while.
Finally, on October 7, 2019, the names Westar and KCP&L were retired. The company officially started using only the Evergy name across all its service areas.
Where Evergy Makes Electricity
Evergy gets its electricity from many different power plants. These include plants that use nuclear power, coal, natural gas, and wind power. Here are some of them:
- Wolf Creek Nuclear Generating Station – Burlington, Kansas
- La Cygne Generating Station – La Cygne, Kansas
- Lawrence Energy Center – Lawrence, Kansas
- Abilene Energy Center – Abilene, Kansas
- Central Plains Wind Farm – Leoti, Kansas
- Emporia Energy Center – Emporia, Kansas
- Flat Ridge Wind Energy – Nashville, Kansas
- Gordon Evans Energy Center – Colwich, Kansas
- Hutchinson Energy Center – Hutchinson, Kansas
- Hawthorn Generating Station - Kansas City, Mo
- Iatan Generating Station - Weston, Missouri
- Jeffrey Energy Center – St. Marys, Kansas
- Meridian Way Wind Farm – Concordia, Kansas
- Murray Gill Energy Center – Wichita, Kansas
- Rolling Meadows Landfill Gas to Energy Plant – Topeka, Kansas
- Spring Creek Energy Center – Logan County, Oklahoma
- State Line Combined Cycle Plant – Joplin, Missouri
- Tecumseh Energy Center – Tecumseh, Kansas
- Western Plains Wind Farm – Ford County, Kansas
Awards Evergy Has Received
Evergy has been recognized for being a good workplace.
- In 2019, Springbuk named Evergy one of the "Healthiest 100 Workplaces in America."
- In May 2019, Forbes magazine listed Evergy as one of "America’s Best Top 500 Employers."
