By Morgan Chilson
Kansas Reflector

TOPEKA — Kansas utility regulators on Thursday approved Evergy’s request to increase rates by $128 million, which will raise the average residential electric bill about $8.47 each month.

The Kansas Corporation Commission approved the unanimous settlement agreement that had been reached in the case, although Commissioner Dwight Keen filed a partial dissent. The base rate is increased by 9.6% in the agreement.

The decision was reached after public hearings, negotiations between intervenors in the case and evidentiary hearings before the commission. The case was opened in January, with Evergy initially asking for a base rate increase of $192 million of total retail revenue.

The order did not set a recommended return on equity for investors but set a 9.7% return on equity to be used for transmission delivery charges, which covers costs associated with building and maintaining the transmission system.

Keen partially dissented from Thursday’s order because he thought the 9.7% return on equity to be too high.

“In my opinion, this ROE is excessive and may present ongoing affordability issues for all EKC (Evergy Kansas Central) customer classes – in particular the most burdened and vulnerable residential retail and small general service ratepayer (SGS) classes,” Keen wrote in his dissent.

Transmission delivery charges are not included in base rates but are passed through to ratepayers as a surcharge on their monthly bill, a KCC press release said.

Rates go into effect Oct. 1.

This story was originally published by the Kansas Reflector. To read more stories like this, visit https://kansasreflector.com.