James Zakoura, an attorney for Kansas Industrial Consumers, informed the Kansas Corporation Commission, that “They have been kept separate for 80 years. I see no reason to change that.”
A hearing would be held by the Commissioners on Westar’s plan to have the same rates for its northern and southern divisions. Westar informs that its customers would not pay higher rates during an initial phase-in period.
According to an estimate by Andrea Crane, a consultant to the Citizens’ Utility Ratepayer Board, later, the northern Kansas industry users would see a drop of 9.8% in the rates and the southern Kansas industrial users would pay around 10.5% excess for power. Where as the residential customers in the southern division would pay approximately 3.1% in excess, while the northern residents rates would decrease by 3.4%.
Due to the high costs related to theWolf Creek nuclear plant, the Southern customers would see a higher rates when compared to northern customers. The rate consolidation was also opposed by the city of Wichita.
Kansas Gas & Electric, later Westar’s southern division, owned 47% of the Wolf Creek nuclear plant, which commenced its operations in 1985.
Currently Westar’s 366,000 northern division customers on an average pays 8 cents per kilowatt hour, and the 313,000 southern customers pay 7.8 cents.
