Comments sought on merger that includes electric company that serves Barton, Dade counties

(From the Public Service Commission)

-Great Plains Energy Incorporated (GPE), Kansas City Power & Light Company (KCPL), KCP&L Greater Missouri Operations Company (GMO) and Westar Energy, Inc. (Westar) have filed a joint application with the Missouri Public Service Commission asking the Commission to approve a transaction in which Westar and GPE will merge through formation of a new holding company and the exchange of stock by shareholders of both Westar and GPE.

GPE is a Missouri corporation and the holding company for the stock of KCPL and GMO, which are public utilities operating in Missouri. Westar is a Kansas corporation operating as an electric public utility in Kansas.

Applications to intervene and participate in this case must be filed no later than September 27, 2017, with the Secretary of the Missouri Public Service Commission, P.O. Box 360, Jefferson City, Missouri 65102, or by using the Commission’s electronic filing and information service (EFIS) at www.psc.mo.gov.

Individual citizens wishing to comment should contact either the Office of the Public Counsel (Governor Office Building, 200 Madison Street, Suite 650, P.O. Box 2230, Jefferson City, Missouri 65102-2230, telephone (866) 922-2959, e-mail opcservice@ded.mo.gov) or the Public Service Commission Staff (P.O. Box 360, Jefferson City, Missouri 65102, telephone 1-800-392-4211, e-mail pscinfo@psc.mo.gov).

The Office of the Public Counsel is a separate state agency that represents the general public in matters before the Commission.

GMO provides electric service to approximately 316,600 customers in the Missouri counties of Andrew, Atchison, Barton, Bates, Benton, Buchanan, Carroll, Cass, Cedar, Clay, Clinton, Dade, Daviess, DeKalb, Gentry, Grundy, Harrison, Henry, Holt, Jackson, Johnson, Lafayette, Livingston, Mercer, Nodaway, Pettis, Platte, Ray, St. Clair, Vernon and Worth counties. KCPL serves approximately 272,800 electric customers in the Missouri counties of Carroll, Cass, Chariton, Clay, Howard, Jackson, Johnson, Lafayette, Livingston, Pettis, Platte, Randolph and Saline.