Evergy Sees Opportunities in Midwest's Data Center Buildout

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Written by Will Ploch, Assistant Editor-in-Chief for IIR News Intelligence (Sugar Land, Texas)

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Summary

Evergy is plotting a massive buildout in power-generation and transmission capacity through 2032, as it tries to find ways to keep the massive demand from data centers from affecting other customers' energy bills.

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Racing to Meet Demand

Evergy Incorporated is preparing to add more than 5 gigawatts (GW) of power-generation capacity through 2032, as demand from data centers and other heavy electricity-consuming customers continues to alter the U.S energy landscape. Industrial Info Resources is tracking more than $5.3 billion worth of active and proposed projects from Evergy, covering Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma.

"In aggregate, we have executed energy service agreements (ESAs) for five data center projects under our large-load power service (LLPS) tariffs," which are specialized utility rate structures for massive electricity-consuming facilities, said David Campbell, the chief executive officer of Evergy, in a quarterly earnings-related conference calls. LLPS tariffs help to keep smaller customers in the area (such as homeowners) from facing higher electricity bills, which is a frequently cited concern about data center construction.

"These five ESAs include steady-state peak load of approximately 2.5 GW," Campbell said. "When including the 500 megawatts (MW) of steady-state peak load from non-LLPS large customers, such as Panasonic and smaller data centers, the total reaches 3 GW."

Panasonic is among the non-data center developers to face questions in recent years on how energy consumption from one of its facilities would affect nearby residents and smaller businesses--in this case, Panasonic's electric vehicle (EV) battery plant in De Soto, Kansas, which demands up to 250 MW of energy supply. Evergy and Panasonic negotiated a special discounted electric rate contract for the project, which was approved by the Kansas Corporation Commission in 2023.

Evergy also agreed to delay the planned retirement of the coal-fired Lawrence Energy Center near Lawrence, Kansas, to supply the EV plant. Industrial Info Resources offers more information on these facilities in its Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Power and Industrial Manufacturing Plant databases, where readers can find details in profiles of the EV plant and Lawrence Energy Center.

But data centers will prove a much bigger challenge for Evergy, and the company is preparing to execute up to $21.6 billion of capital expenditures (capex) over the next five years to add and improve its power-generation and transmission and distribution (T&D) capacity. Campbell said the 5-plus GW of generation to be added though 2032 includes 3.9 GW of natural gas, nearly 800 MW of solar and 450 MW of battery storage.

According to Industrial Info Resources data, about $2.2 billion worth of active and proposed projects from Evergy are for gas-fired power plants. These include the Viola Power Plant in Conway Springs, Kansas, and the proposed McNew Power Station in Yoder, Kansas. Both facilities are designed to generate 710 MW from a combined-cycle setup, with the Viola plant breaking ground in December.

Readers can learn more details about these projects--including construction schedules, investment values and necessary equipment--from the Industrial Info Resources GMI Power Project Database, which offers detailed reports on the Viola and McNew power plants.

By the Numbers

• More than $5.3 billion: Total investment value of active and proposed projects from Evergy
• More than 5 GW: Total power-generation capacity the company expects to add through 2032
• Up to $21.6 billion: Evergy's capex plan for the next five years

Keeping Pace with T&D Needs

On the renewables front, Evergy is at work on two solar plants set to be completed around the end of the year: the Foxtrot Solar Plant in Asbury, Missouri, which is designed to generate 100 MW, and the Sunflower Sky Solar Plant in Altoona, Kansas, which is designed to generate 65 MW.

Each plant is designed to use about 80,000 photovoltaic (PV) panels. Readers can learn more from detailed reports on the Foxtrot and Sunflower Sky projects.

Campbell and other executives acknowledged more T&D capacity would be needed to support the new power-generation capacity. To that end, Evergy is a participant in the Branson Overlay Project, a nearly $1 billion initiative led by the Southwest Power Pool (SPP) to improve grid reliability and weather resistance in parts of Kansas and Missouri.

Evergy's portion of the Branson development includes a 133-mile line from Garden Plain, Kansas, to Delaware, Oklahoma, and an expansion of the Buffalo Flats Substation in Garden Plain. The line will originate at the substation and tie in to an existing transmission line on the border with Oklahoma. Readers can consult detailed reports on the new line and substation project.

Evergy reported revenues of $1.5 billion for second-quarter 2026, a 4.4% increase from the same period last year. Net income stood at $215 million, a 25.5% increase.

The Industrial Info Resources GMI Project and Plant databases offer a full list of detailed reports for projects mentioned in this article, and a full list of related plant profiles.

Industrial Info Resources also offers a full list of reports for active and proposed projects from Evergy.

Key Takeaways

• Evergy aims to add 3.9 GW of natural gas, nearly 800 MW of solar and 450 MW of battery storage over the next five years.
• The company signed ESAs for five data center projects under a special utility rate structure for large power-consuming facilities
• Executives acknowledge more T&D capacity will be needed to support the new power-generation capacity.

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About Industrial Info Resources
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news, and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing, and energy-related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified, and verified plant and project opportunities. Across the world, Industrial Info Resources is tracking over 250,000 current and future projects worth $30.2 trillion (USD).