Evergy email details new fees for big power users

Evergy sent an email to customers on Monday outlining how the utility will handle new large power users. The message explains a set of rules designed to stop these customers from raising rates for ordinary residents. The company says the measures protect typical users from paying for the extra infrastructure that large facilities require.

The email focuses on what Evergy calls large load customers. This category is not limited to data centers. Any customer with a peak electric demand over 75 megawatts qualifies under the new tariffs. This includes large manufacturing plants and logistics centers. The threshold applies to new customers and existing customers who expand their use by 75 megawatts or more.

Under the new rules, these large customers must pay higher electric rates than other large commercial and industrial users. They must also cover 100% of the costs for any substations or transmission lines built solely to serve them. The customers must agree to a minimum monthly bill even if they use less power than expected in a given month.

The requirements also include financial protections for other customers. Large load customers must provide collateral equal to two years of their minimum monthly bills. This protects the utility if a project is delayed, downsized, or abandoned. Customers must also sign long-term contracts of at least 12 years. These contracts can include a five-year phase-in period, leading to a potential commitment of up to 17 years. Early exit fees and penalties for short notice apply if a customer leaves before the term ends.

Staff for the Kansas Corporation Commission estimated in testimony that these large load customers will pay 7% to 10% more than Evergy’s existing industrial customers. The commission approved this rate plan on Nov. 6, 2025. The approval was part of a unanimous settlement. Evergy negotiated the agreement with the Citizens’ Utility Ratepayer Board, the Kansas Industrial Consumers Group, and several environmental groups. Google and several Kansas school districts were also part of the negotiation.

In Missouri, the process followed a different path. State lawmakers passed Senate Bill 4 in 2025. The bill required the Public Service Commission to adopt rates that ensure large load customers pay their share of costs. Evergy’s Missouri tariffs took effect in March. Ameren Missouri’s tariffs took effect in January. This approach contrasts with Kansas, where Evergy proposed the plan and sought regulator approval.

The rules do not apply to customers of public utilities. Cities like Independence and Gardner have city-run electric utilities. These utilities fall outside the jurisdiction of state regulators like the Kansas Corporation Commission and the Missouri Public Service Commission. Independence Power & Light serves the city of Independence, which approved tax incentives for the Nebius data center project. That project requires more than 800 megawatts of power, a figure well above the 75-megawatt threshold used by Evergy.