Kansas Corporation Commission

Evergy general rate case proceedings: Evergy Kansas Central and Evergy Metro filed for combined electric rate increases in 2025 to recover costs associated with the Hawthorn 5 replacement generation project, advanced metering infrastructure deployment, and ongoing Wolf Creek nuclear refueling and capital upgrades; KCC staff and intervenors have contested the appropriate rate base treatment and return on equity.

Coal plant retirement and stranded cost recovery: KCC is actively working through the policy and ratemaking framework for Evergy's planned retirement of Jeffrey Energy Center and La Cygne generating units, including whether unrecovered net book value qualifies for securitization under Kansas law and how replacement capacity costs will be allocated to ratepayers.

Renewable energy integration and IRP compliance: The KCC is reviewing Evergy's updated 2025 Integrated Resource Plan, which projects significant new wind and solar procurement through SPP markets; contentious issues include capacity adequacy commitments, interconnection queue reform participation, and the pace of thermal fleet decommissioning relative to reliability standards.

Winter Storm Uri gas cost securitization and pipeline safety: Kansas Gas Service and other LDCs continue post-securitization compliance monitoring; separately, KCC is coordinating with PHMSA on gas pipeline safety inspection programs and considering mandatory weatherization standards for natural gas infrastructure to prevent recurrence of supply disruptions during extreme cold events.

Rural broadband and utility pole attachment regulation: Several Kansas electric cooperatives and municipal utilities are deploying or planning fiber broadband networks; KCC jurisdiction over pole attachment rates and make-ready cost allocation is being tested, with pending questions about whether the commission will adopt FCC-style rate benchmarks or establish independent Kansas-specific attachment rules.