Evergy tells legislators it will invest billions in new generation, seeks rate approval and large‑load tariff

Evergy CEO David Campbell and Chuck Kaysley, the utility’s executive vice president for public affairs and chief customer officer, told a legislative committee that Evergy plans historic investment in generation and grid upgrades and has filed a rate case and a new large‑load tariff intended to allocate the cost of serving very large new customers.

Campbell opened the presentation by describing the company’s priorities: “We emphasize affordability, reliability, and sustainability,” and said Evergy has reduced costs sharply since its 2018 merger while seeking to maintain reliability. The company is pursuing a five‑year capital plan that Campbell said totals about $17.5 billion, driven in part by new generation projects and continued transmission and distribution work.

The planned build includes multiple natural‑gas combined‑cycle plants and utility‑scale solar. Campbell said one combined‑cycle plant in Sumner County near Viola is pending regulatory approval and is expected online in 2029; a second plant south of Hutchinson in Reno County is expected online in 2030. He called the overall program “historic” and said the company expects to add roughly 6,000 megawatts of capacity through the period discussed, with about three‑quarters of planned additions using natural gas.

Why it matters: Evergy told legislators that the proposed capital spending is intended to preserve reliability while enabling robust customer growth — particularly from large industrial and data‑center customers — and that regulators must weigh affordability for existing customers against the cost of new construction required to serve…