Westar Energy
Encyclopedia
Westar Energy is an investor owned electric utility
headquartered in Topeka, Kansas
. Westar is the largest electric company in Kansas, serving 687,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in the eastern third of the state. Westar Energy generates more than 27,000,000 megawatt-hours of electricity
per year at its 12 power plants. Westar Energy service territory covers 10130 square miles (26,236.6 km²) in east and east-central Kansas. Westar Energy owns more than 7700 miles (12,391.9 km) of transmission lines.
, Pittsburg
and Frontenac
. KG&E grew rapidly. At the end of 1910, it served three communities and 5,525 customers. By 1925, service extended to 50 communities and 48,773 customers. At one time, KG&E also provided natural gas
to Hutchinson
, Newton
, Pittsburg and Wichita.
With financial backing from Illinois Power and Light Corporation, The Kansas Power and Light Company was founded in 1924 in Tecumseh
. Transmission line
s ran to Topeka
and Atchison
. The company immediately began acquiring customers and the assets of area electric and natural gas utilities. In 1983, KPL acquired The Gas Service Company and rights to serve its one million natural gas customers in Kansas] Missouri
, Nebraska
and Oklahoma
.
In 1992, KPL merged with KG&E to become Western Resources. It served 560,000 electric customers and 1.06 million natural gas customers in three states. In 1996, an agreement gave Tulsa, Oklahoma
-based ONEOK
, Inc. ownership of Western Resources’ natural gas business. In return, Western Resources received approximately 45 percent ownership in ONEOK. This investment was sold in 2002 and 2003 as part of the company's renewed focus on being a pure electric utility.
In 2002, Western Resources shareholders approved changing the company’s name to Westar Energy.
Electric utility
An electric utility is a company that engages in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity for sale generally in a regulated market. The electrical utility industry is a major provider of energy in most countries. It is indispensable to factories, commercial establishments,...
headquartered in Topeka, Kansas
Topeka, Kansas
Topeka |Kansa]]: Tó Pee Kuh) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County. It is situated along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was...
. Westar is the largest electric company in Kansas, serving 687,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in the eastern third of the state. Westar Energy generates more than 27,000,000 megawatt-hours of electricity
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
per year at its 12 power plants. Westar Energy service territory covers 10130 square miles (26,236.6 km²) in east and east-central Kansas. Westar Energy owns more than 7700 miles (12,391.9 km) of transmission lines.
History
In 1909, The American Power & Light Company organized Kansas Gas and Electric Company to operate utilities in WichitaWichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
, Pittsburg
Pittsburg, Kansas
Pittsburg is a city in Crawford County, in southeastern Kansas, United States. It is the most populous city in Crawford County and in southeastern Kansas. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 20,233.-History:...
and Frontenac
Frontenac, Kansas
Frontenac is a city in Crawford County, Kansas, United States. The population was 3,437 at the 2010 census.-History:Frontenac was established as a coal mining town in 1886 in the Cherokee-Crawford Coal Fields. In 1888, Frontenac had the worst mining disaster in Kansas history, when an explosion...
. KG&E grew rapidly. At the end of 1910, it served three communities and 5,525 customers. By 1925, service extended to 50 communities and 48,773 customers. At one time, KG&E also provided natural gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
to Hutchinson
Hutchinson, Kansas
Hutchinson is the largest city in and the county seat of Reno County, Kansas, United States, northwest of Wichita, on the Arkansas River. It has been home to salt mines since 1887, thus its nickname of "Salt City", but locals call it "Hutch"...
, Newton
Newton, Kansas
Newton is a city in and the county seat of Harvey County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 19,132. Newton is located north of Wichita and is included in the Wichita metropolitan statistical area...
, Pittsburg and Wichita.
With financial backing from Illinois Power and Light Corporation, The Kansas Power and Light Company was founded in 1924 in Tecumseh
Tecumseh, Kansas
Tecumseh is an unincorporated community situated along the Kansas River in eastern Shawnee County, located in northeast Kansas, in the central United States of America. It is part of the Topeka, Kansas Metropolitan Statistical Area. Although official populations are not compiled for...
. Transmission line
Transmission line
In communications and electronic engineering, a transmission line is a specialized cable designed to carry alternating current of radio frequency, that is, currents with a frequency high enough that its wave nature must be taken into account...
s ran to Topeka
Topeka, Kansas
Topeka |Kansa]]: Tó Pee Kuh) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County. It is situated along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was...
and Atchison
Atchison, Kansas
Atchison is a city situated along the Missouri River in the eastern part of Atchison County, located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 11,021. It is the county seat and most populous city of Atchison County...
. The company immediately began acquiring customers and the assets of area electric and natural gas utilities. In 1983, KPL acquired The Gas Service Company and rights to serve its one million natural gas customers in Kansas] Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
and Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
.
In 1992, KPL merged with KG&E to become Western Resources. It served 560,000 electric customers and 1.06 million natural gas customers in three states. In 1996, an agreement gave Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
-based ONEOK
ONEOK
ONEOK, Inc. is a diversified Fortune 200 corporation based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Founded in 1906 as Oklahoma Natural Gas Company, it is one of the largest natural gas distributors in the United States. It changed its corporate name to ONEOK in December 1980...
, Inc. ownership of Western Resources’ natural gas business. In return, Western Resources received approximately 45 percent ownership in ONEOK. This investment was sold in 2002 and 2003 as part of the company's renewed focus on being a pure electric utility.
In 2002, Western Resources shareholders approved changing the company’s name to Westar Energy.
Company timeline
- 1910 - KG&E authorized to begin operation
- 1922 - Kansas Electric Power Co. is incorporated
- 1924 - Kansas Power and Light Co. is incorporated. Neosho Plant is built
- 1935 - United Power and Light merges with KPL
- 1943 - KPL acquires Kansas Electric Power Company
- 1955 - KG&E common stock listed on the New York Stock ExchangeNew York Stock ExchangeThe New York Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located at 11 Wall Street in Lower Manhattan, New York City, USA. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed companies at 13.39 trillion as of Dec 2010...
- 1967 - KG&E requests water rights at John Redmond Reservoir for a nuclear plant
- 1973 - LaCygne Energy Center goes on line
- 1978 - Jeffrey Energy CenterJeffrey Energy CenterJeffrey Energy Center is a sub-bituminous coal-fired power plant located seven miles northwest of St. Marys, Kansas, at . Jeffrey EC is jointly owned by Westar Energy, Topeka, Kansas and Aquila Corp., Kansas City, Missouri. Jeffrey EC is composed of three separate 720-MW units providing a...
begins commercial operation - 1985 - Wolf Creek Nuclear Generating StationWolf Creek Nuclear Generating StationWolf Creek Generating Station, a nuclear power plant located near Burlington, Kansas, occupies 9,818 acres of the total 11,800 acres controlled by the owner...
begins commercial operation Sept. 3 - 1992 - KPL and KG&E merger completed. Western Resources introduced
- 1999 - Westar Wind becomes the first commercially operated wind turbineWind turbineA wind turbine is a device that converts kinetic energy from the wind into mechanical energy. If the mechanical energy is used to produce electricity, the device may be called a wind generator or wind charger. If the mechanical energy is used to drive machinery, such as for grinding grain or...
project in KansasKansasKansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south... - 2002 - Westar Energy is introduced. The KPL, KGE and Western Resources names are retired.
Generation portfolio
- Abilene Energy Center - Abilene, KansasAbilene, KansasAbilene is a city in and the county seat of Dickinson County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 6,844.-History:...
- Central Plains Wind Farm - Leoti, KansasLeoti, KansasLeoti, pronounced "Lee-oh-TAH", is a city in and the county seat of Wichita County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 1,534.- History :...
- Emporia Energy Center - Emporia, KansasEmporia, KansasEmporia is a city in and the county seat of Lyon County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 24,916. Emporia lies between Topeka and Wichita at the intersection of U.S. Route 50 with Interstates 335 and 35 on the Kansas Turnpike...
- Flat Ridge Wind Energy - Nashville, KansasNashville, KansasNashville is a city in Kingman County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 64.-Geography:Nashville is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land.-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 111...
- Gordon Evans Energy Center - Colwich, KansasColwich, KansasColwich is a city in Sedgwick County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 1,327.-Geography:Colwich is located at...
- Hutchinson Energy Center - Hutchinson, KansasHutchinson, KansasHutchinson is the largest city in and the county seat of Reno County, Kansas, United States, northwest of Wichita, on the Arkansas River. It has been home to salt mines since 1887, thus its nickname of "Salt City", but locals call it "Hutch"...
- Jeffrey Energy CenterJeffrey Energy CenterJeffrey Energy Center is a sub-bituminous coal-fired power plant located seven miles northwest of St. Marys, Kansas, at . Jeffrey EC is jointly owned by Westar Energy, Topeka, Kansas and Aquila Corp., Kansas City, Missouri. Jeffrey EC is composed of three separate 720-MW units providing a...
- St. Marys, KansasSt. Marys, KansasSt. Marys is a city in Pottawatomie and Wabaunsee counties in the U.S. state of Kansas, approximately 20 miles west of Topeka on U.S. Route 24. The population was 2,198 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Manhattan, Kansas Metropolitan Statistical Area.... - La Cygne Energy Center - La Cygne, KansasLa Cygne, KansasLa Cygne is a city situated along the Marais des Cygnes River in the northeast part of Linn County, located in East Central Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 1,149...
- Lawrence Energy Center - Lawrence, KansasLawrence, KansasLawrence is the sixth largest city in the U.S. State of Kansas and the county seat of Douglas County. Located in northeastern Kansas, Lawrence is the anchor city of the Lawrence, Kansas, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Douglas County...
- Meridian Way Wind Farm - Concordia, KansasConcordia, KansasConcordia is a city in and the county seat of Cloud County, Kansas, United States. Located on the Republican River in the Smoky Hills region of the Great Plains, Concordia was founded in 1871 and is an economic and cultural center in north-central Kansas...
- Murray Gill Energy Center - Wichita, KansasWichita, KansasWichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
- Neosho Energy Center - Parsons, KansasParsons, KansasParsons is a city in the northern part of Labette County, located in Southeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 10,500...
- Rolling Meadows Landfill Gas to Energy Plant - Topeka, KansasTopeka, KansasTopeka |Kansa]]: Tó Pee Kuh) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County. It is situated along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was...
- Spring Creek Energy Center - Logan County, OklahomaLogan County, OklahomaLogan County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The population as of 2009 was 39,301. Its county seat is Guthrie. Logan County is part of the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
- State Line Combined Cycle Plant - Joplin, MissouriJoplin, MissouriJoplin is a city in southern Jasper County and northern Newton County in the southwestern corner of the US state of Missouri. Joplin is the largest city in Jasper County, though it is not the county seat. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 50,150...
- Tecumseh Energy Center - Tecumseh, KansasTecumseh, KansasTecumseh is an unincorporated community situated along the Kansas River in eastern Shawnee County, located in northeast Kansas, in the central United States of America. It is part of the Topeka, Kansas Metropolitan Statistical Area. Although official populations are not compiled for...
- Wolf Creek Nuclear Generating StationWolf Creek Nuclear Generating StationWolf Creek Generating Station, a nuclear power plant located near Burlington, Kansas, occupies 9,818 acres of the total 11,800 acres controlled by the owner...
- Burlington, KansasBurlington, KansasBurlington is a city in and the county seat of Coffey County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 2,674.-Geography:Burlington is located at...
Latest news
- September 2006 - Westar announces plans to build new 345 KV transmission lineTransmission lineIn communications and electronic engineering, a transmission line is a specialized cable designed to carry alternating current of radio frequency, that is, currents with a frequency high enough that its wave nature must be taken into account...
from WichitaWichita, KansasWichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
to HutchinsonHutchinson, KansasHutchinson is the largest city in and the county seat of Reno County, Kansas, United States, northwest of Wichita, on the Arkansas River. It has been home to salt mines since 1887, thus its nickname of "Salt City", but locals call it "Hutch"...
to SalinaSalina, KansasSalina is a city in and the county seat of Saline County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 47,707. Located in one of the world's largest wheat-producing areas, Salina is a regional trade center for north-central Kansas... - October 2006 - Westar Energy partners with Apogee Interactive to provide energy calculators on Website.
- March 2007 - Westar Energy breaks ground on Emporia Energy Center. A natural gas-fired peaking plant.
- April 2007 - CEO Jim Haines announces retirement and successor William Moore.
- August 2007 - Westar announces plans to spend $465 million to upgrade environmental controls and Jeffrey Energy CenterJeffrey Energy CenterJeffrey Energy Center is a sub-bituminous coal-fired power plant located seven miles northwest of St. Marys, Kansas, at . Jeffrey EC is jointly owned by Westar Energy, Topeka, Kansas and Aquila Corp., Kansas City, Missouri. Jeffrey EC is composed of three separate 720-MW units providing a...
. - October 2007 - Westar Energy launches Kansas' largest wind energyWind energyWind energy is the kinetic energy of air in motion; see also wind power.Total wind energy flowing through an imaginary area A during the time t is:E = ½ m v2 = ½ v 2...
program. - December 2007 - Ice Storm becomes largest in Westar history and estimated costs at $73 – $85 million.