KANSAS CITY, Mo. – June 6, 2022 — Evergy’s power plant fleet is ready to meet customers’ needs as forecasters predict a hotter than normal summer. Investment in power grid modernization will help ensure that power is delivered to homes and businesses. As supply chains across the nation and worldwide address shortages, Evergy is prioritizing emergency reserves for transformers and other critical inventory.
A diverse power supply including wind, nuclear, fossil fuels and solar, helps provide for a reliable supply of electricity during times of high demand. Evergy performs seasonal maintenance work on its power plants during the mild weather of spring and fall to help ready them to meet customer needs during the hot summer months, when air conditioning creates high demand for electricity. In addition, forward-looking preparation and established contracts help provide for fuel availability at competitive prices.
Amid worldwide supply chain constraints, Evergy’s supply chain team is working closely with vendors to maintain needed inventory to address repairs related to storms and other causes. During the past several months, they have worked to find alternate suppliers and products that meet their safety and quality standards, placed orders sooner because of longer lead times, maintained inventory for emergencies and adjusted how they work with developers who need infrastructure for new building.
“Evergy is committed to maintaining reliable, affordable electricity. From the power plants that generate electricity to the lines and transformers that are key parts of the system, our teams are working to make sure electricity is available when our customers need it,” said Chuck Caisley, senior vice president and chief customer officer.
Evergy, which serves Junction City and Manhattan, is a member of the Southwest Power Pool (SPP), which helps coordinate power generation and transmission access over parts of the Midwest. If high temperatures or other conditions are expected to drive energy demand higher than normal, the SPP sends members alerts so they can work together to meet increased needs. This may include a wide range of preparation from increasing staff to preparing plants designed for peak use to generate.