Board of Public Utilities Board of Directors (Dec. 3, 2025)

By Tamara Barnes, Kansas City Documenter

These notes were produced through Kansas City Documenters, which trains and pays community members to take fact-checked notes at public meetings, strengthening transparency and accountability in local government.

Summary

• The board voted unanimously to approve the 2026 budget. BPU will not be raising rates in 2026. 
• The Nearman Creek Power Station has averaged $11 million in annual losses and is a major emissions source, according to a Kansans for an Affordable Future presentation by Current Energy Group. The group said a clean energy portfolio could maintain reliability while providing comparable power at the same or lower cost.
• BPU is launching a community solar project consisting of two solar facilities.

Observations & Follow-Up Questions

• Why are so few individuals showing up to these meetings?
• Why did the board receive the presentation for Kansans for an Affordable Future only 48 hours before the meeting? Is that timeframe typical? 

Top Quote

• “It’s rare that win-wins come about that clear.” – Brett Parker, District 3 board member and secretary (1:37:17) (Spoken in reference to the 2026 budget plan to provide bill credits to low-income customers.) 

Notes

Attendance

• Tom Groneman, District 2, President  
• Mary L. Gonzales, At Large, Position 1 
• David Haley, At Large, Position 2
• Rose Mulvany Henry, At Large, Position 3
• Stevie A. Wakes Sr., District 1
• Brett Parker, District 3, Secretary
• Jeremy Ash, General Manager

Kansans for an Affordable Future and Current Energy Group presented a clean energy transition strategy for the Nearman Creek Power Station. 

• The purpose of this presentation was to explore whether a clean replacement portfolio could cost effectively provide the same benefits as the Nearman Creek Power Station, located north of the Quindaro neighborhood near the Missouri River in Kansas City, Kansas.
• The presentation was given virtually by Maria Roumpani and Laura Burford of Current Energy Group. 
• Nearman Creek Power Station has generated losses averaging $11 million annually and contributes significantly to emissions despite regulatory compliance, according to the presentation.
• A clean energy portfolio could include wind and solar power, as well as energy efficiency and demand response measures. 
• “Transitioning to a clean energy portfolio can maintain reliability while delivering similar levels of power at the same or lower cost than Nearman,” according to the presentation.
  • Switching to a clean energy portfolio could save $1.3 million annually.
  • BPU could consider models like a “solar-for-coal” swap, where a third-party developer purchases and retires a coal asset and builds lower-cost solar generation in its place.
• Data centers were also discussed. There are two proposed data centers within the BPU service territory.
  • Project Yardbird is PowerTransition’s proposal to convert the former Quindaro Power Station site into a data center campus, slated for completion in 2027. Details about how the facility would be powered have not been publicized. 
  • Wyandotte County has also received a proposal for a data center near the Kansas Speedway. The project is still in the proposal stage. 
  • “If fully constructed, adding the two data centers projects would result in non-peak electricity demand nearly triple the size of the current BPU system,” according to the presentation.
• Board members had questions pertaining to the presentation.
  • Rose Mulvany Henry asked which comparable utilities that have adopted clean energy portfolios were referenced in the Current Energy Group’s presentation.
    • They include Evergy Missouri Metro, Evergy Missouri West, Ameren Missouri, Evergy Kansas Metro, Evergy Kansas Central and Evergy Kansas South. (See the presentation slide in the attachments.) 
  • Stevie Wakes asked, “What happens to the employees of Nearman?”
    • Transition plans would include retraining employees and exploring local job creation through demand-side programs.
• Ty Gorman of the Sierra Club: Kansas Chapter made a public comment in agreement with the presentation, stating that he hopes BPU adopts the concepts.

The board voted unanimously to approve 2026 Budget Resolution #5318. 

• BPU will not be raising rates in 2026. 
• They will be pursuing bonds to cover some expenses. 

BPU is starting a community solar project, building two different solar facilities. 

• This is a $21 million project, supported by $12 million in federal tax credits.
• Benefits are designed to support low-income customers, who would receive bill credits once the project is operational.
  • Staff hopes to begin issuing these credits by early 2028. 

The board expressed gratitude for Mary Gonzales and Tom Groneman as they depart their roles for the newly elected officials.

Read more about this meeting and see all Kansas City Documenters notes here.