Kan. Regulators Westar Electric Rate Increase

JOHN HANNA

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas regulators on Friday approved a $32 million increase in electric rates for Westar Energy Inc., raising customers' monthly bills for the third time this year.

The latest increase takes effect Monday and will help Westar pay for improvements on pollution-control equipment at its generating plants.

Westar said monthly electric bills will increase by an average of $2.95 for residential customers in its northern division. That region includes Emporia, Hutchinson, Lawrence, Olathe, Parsons, Salina and Topeka.

In its southern division, Westar said the monthly increase for residential customers will average 88 cents. The region includes Wichita, Arkansas City, El Dorado, Independence, Newton and Pittsburg.

The Kansas Corporation Commission's order approving the rate increase and called the costs Westar incurred "prudent" and "reasonable." Most of the environmental upgrades were at its largest generating plant, the coal-fired Jeffrey Energy Center, about 30 miles northwest of Topeka.

"These upgrades are federally mandated, but they're the right thing to do," Westar spokeswoman Erin LaRow said in an interview. "It's important to us and important to our customers that we're good stewards of the environment."