Nearly a month after brutal cold temperatures settled across Kansas and several other states, the Kansas Corporation Commission is now opening several company-specific investigations looking into the weather’s impact on energy costs.
Seven investigations are now underway, with Evergy, Kansas Gas, Atmos and Black Hills Energy — all of which serve the KVOE listening area to some degree — on the list.
KCC Director of Public Affairs Linda Berry spoke with KVOE News last week, saying utilities have been told to monitor expenses and costs from the extreme cold and report those to the agency, so this step was to be expected.
Investigations will look into the utilities’ proposals to minimize the impacts of temperatures that went under -15 below zero last month in Kansas and approached zero into Texas, freezing up natural gas operations at a time when demand was at record levels. The KCC says investigations will also dive into the cause of reduced natural gas supplies, high gas prices, supply and demand imbalances and future preparations so utilities are better prepared for extreme winter weather.
