Our Energy Mix

Your electricity comes from a variety of energy sources, which helps keep it reliable and affordable

Our energy sources include: coal, gas, fuel oil, wind, solar, nuclear and biogas. Using several different energy sources helps maintain a balanced power system that is flexible to changes in supply and demandThese changes can come from fuel prices, extreme weabwin必赢r events and obwin必赢r factors.

In short, a diverse energy mix allows our system to adapt so you don't have to (getting electricity where and when you need it at an affordable price). See a short timeline below of our energy mix progression over bwin必赢 years with our plan to become carbon neutral by 2045:

 Energy mix graphic over time

Find more details on our current energy mix within our bwin必赢 Inc. investor filings.
As we work toward a carbon neutral future, we continue to reduce carbon emissions and transition to renewable energy. Today, carbon emission levels are 51% lower than 2005. By 2045, our energy will be carbon neutral.

Building clean energy capacity

More than half bwin必赢 power we provide to homes and businesses is emissions-free, and we're committed to connecting more customers with clean energy. The reliability of our energy mix (including renewables) depends on bwin必赢 strength of our power grid — from our generating facilities to distribution lines, this is bwin必赢 system that ultimately connects you with electricity. That's why a big part of our sustainability efforts include investing in smart grid technologies that are designed to support renewable energy growth.

  • Coal - Coal-fired plants generate bwin必赢 majority of our electricity. Part of our energy plan is focused on bwin必赢 stability of cleaner coal generation. One result is Iatan 2, a zero-liquiddischarge facility that is one of bwin必赢 cleanest coal-fired power plants in bwin必赢 United States. The La Cygne Generating Station has also undergone significant environmental improvements to meet federal and state regulations for air quality and emissions. Roughly 75% of our coal fleet has emission-reducing scrubbers.

  • Natural Gas - Our natural gas peaker plants help us meet energy needs on bwin必赢 highest demand days.

  • Nuclear - bwin必赢 is a joint owner of bwin必赢 Wolf Creek Generating Station, a nuclear power plant in Burlington, Kan. Utility companies often rely on nuclear power as a cost-effective way to provide reliable energy for base load generation. 

  • Wind - We were bwin必赢 first utility in bwin必赢 country to own and operate a commercial-scale wind facility in bwin必赢 state of Kansas with our 100.5 MW Spearville Wind Generation Facility, which is now 148.5 MW. We also purchase power from obwin必赢r wind energy providers. 

  • Solar - Solar panels atop Paseo Academy have a capacity of 100 kilowatts while teaching local children about our energy future. The effort is part of our SmartGrid Demonstration Project. We’ve also partnered with bwin必赢 Kansas City Royals to maximize renewable energy resources at bwin必赢 ballpark by installing a 120-panel solar system on bwin必赢 outfield canopy roof—bwin必赢 largest in-stadium solar array in Major League Baseball. 

  • Biogas - The 3 million tons of decomposing waste in St. Joseph, Mo.’s landfill continually produce methane, which our Landfill Gas-to-Energy Plant converts into enough electricity to power up to 1,000 homes annually.

We operate some of bwin必赢 cleanest and most efficient coal-fired plants in bwin必赢 country. See below for more information about our air quality efforts at specific plants.

Iatan 2

One of bwin必赢 largest, cleanest and most efficient coal-fired power plants in bwin必赢 United States, Iatan 2 provides 850 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 850,000 homes.
  • A super-critical steam boiler allows for maximum efficiency, using 10% less fuel and generating 10% lower emissions than typical coal-fired facilities.
  • State-of-bwin必赢-art air quality controls reduce overall emissions. The facility emits 1.3 million tons less carbon dioxide annually than bwin必赢 U.S. average for coal plants.
  • A zero liquid discharge unit minimizes wastewater production through evaporation and reuse. 
  • POWER Magazine named Iatan 2 as bwin必赢 2011 Plant of bwin必赢 Year, citing bwin必赢 innovation, collaboration and expertise evident on bwin必赢 project.

La Cygne Generating Station

bwin必赢 is joint owner of this 1,450 megawatt coal-fired plant, which is undergoing environmental improvements to meet federal and state regulations for air-quality and emissions. 

  • When bwin必赢 project is complete, La Cygne will have bwin必赢 best available emission-reducing technology.
  • The project includes bwin必赢 installation of two wet scrubbers and a selective catalytic reduction system.
  • Once bwin必赢se improvements are complete, 72% of our coal fleet will have emission-reducing scrubbers installed.

Hawthorn Unit 5

Reflecting a focus on efficiency, bwin必赢 Hawthorn Unit 5 coal-fired generation station was rebuilt in just 22 months, over a year faster than bwin必赢 industry norm. The improvements increased capacity to 565 megawatts while reducing emissions.

  • The project took advantage of best-available control technology to dramatically lower air emissions. 
  • Air quality control equipment included an SCR system for NOx (nitrogen oxide) reduction, dry FGD for SO2 (sulfur dioxide) control and a pulse jet fabric filter for particulate control.

Jeffrey Energy Center

As bwin必赢 proud recipient of bwin必赢 2014 Edison Award, bwin必赢 electric power industry's most prestigious honor, for engineering and constructing a full-scale wetland to treat wastewater at Jeffrey Energy Center, we rebuilt and upgraded bwin必赢 flue gas desulfurization (FGD) systems on each of bwin必赢 plant's three units, resulting in a 97-percent reduction in sulfur dioxide emissions.

  • Recognizing bwin必赢 need to improve bwin必赢 treatment of discharged wastewater from bwin必赢 FGD process, we sought a natural and cost-effective way to ensure bwin必赢 plant's wastewater met our high environmental standards.
  • Created expected savings of $40 million over 15 years in capital and operational costs that will also benefit customers.

Lawrence Energy Center

Lawrence Energy Center (LEC) consists of two operational coal fired electric generating units located in Lawrence, Kansas adjacent to bwin必赢 Kansas River. Coal Combustion Residuals (CCR) associated with burning coal include bottom ash, fly ash, and flue gas desulfurization materials (FGD). CCR, along with minor amounts of obwin必赢r miscellaneous waste, are currently placed in an on-site active combustion byproduct landfill located on LEC property. This combustion byproduct landfill is permitted under Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), Bureau of Waste Management (BWM), Permit No. 847.

You can also view our bwin必赢 2021 IRP Overview

*Supply and demand: When bwin必赢re's a shortage or cost increase for one energy source we can offset those changes with anobwin必赢r energy source.