Briefing on Hutchinson Energy Center

Hutchinson Energy Center, a 345 MW natural gas plant owned by Evergy, is undergoing a significant turbine upgrade while exhibiting low capacity utilization.

Overview

• Project Name: Hutchinson Energy Center (The Topeka Capital-Journal, 2018-08-01)

• Developer: Westar Energy (The Topeka Capital-Journal, 2018-08-01)

• Status: Operating since 1974

• Parent Company: Evergy

• EIA Operator: Evergy Kansas Central, Inc.

• Ownership: Evergy Kansas Central, Inc.

Fleet Details

• Capacity: 345 MW natural gas plant in Kansas

• Generators: 5 units

• Technologies: Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine, Petroleum Liquids

• Grid Connections: SPP (Southwest Power Pool) ISO, MRO NERC, Southwest Power Pool BA

Operational Performance & Activity

• Annual Generation: 29 GWh with a capacity factor of 1.0%

• Recent Generation (2024): 3 GWh in October, 2 GWh in November, and 1 GWh in December

• Latest Milestone: 50% complete on turbine upgrade (The Topeka Capital-Journal, 2018-08-01)

• Latest Activity: construction_milestone (The Topeka Capital-Journal, 2018-08-01)

• Construction Commitment: $25M upgrade for the plant

Financial Profile

• Capital Expenditure (CapEx): $158/kW

• Operating Expenditure (OpEx): $490.8/MWh

• Financial Data Span: 2 years (2016–2017) from ferc sources