Lawrence Energy Center (Kansas)
| Part of the Global Oil and Gas Plant Tracker, a Global Energy Monitor project. |
| Related categories: |
| Part of the Global Coal Plant Tracker, a Global Energy Monitor project. |
| Related coal trackers: |
Lawrence Energy Center (Kansas) is an operating power station of at least 517-megawatts (MW) in Lawrence, Douglas, Kansas, United States with multiple units, some of which are not currently operating. It is also known as Lawrence Energy Center.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Lawrence Energy Center (Kansas) | Lawrence, Douglas, Kansas, United States | 39.00845, -95.269736 (exact) |
Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):
- Unit 3, Unit 4, Unit 5: 39.00845, -95.269736
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | CHP | Start year | Retired year | Emergency/Backup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 3 | Retired | coal: subbituminous[1] | 49 | subcritical | – | 1955 | 2015 | no |
| Unit 4, timepoint 1 | Operating | coal: subbituminous[1] | 114 | subcritical | – | 1960 | 2028 (planned) | no |
| Unit 4, timepoint 2 | Announced[2] | fossil gas: natural gas[2] | 114[3] | steam turbine[3] | – | 2029 (planned)[2] | 2032 (planned)[2] | no |
| Unit 5, timepoint 1 | Operating | coal: subbituminous[1] | 403 | subcritical | no[4] | 1971 | 2028 (planned) | no |
| Unit 5, timepoint 2 | Announced[5][6][7][8] | fossil gas: natural gas[6] | 403[9][3][4] | steam turbine[4] | no[4] | 2029 (planned)[5][2] | 2032 (planned)[2] | no |
CHP is an abbreviation for Combined Heat and Power. It is a technology that produces electricity and thermal energy at high efficiencies. Coal units track this information in the Captive Use section when known.
Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
| Unit name | Owner | Parent |
|---|---|---|
| Unit 3 | Evergy Kansas Central Inc [100%] | Evergy Inc [100.0%] |
| Unit 4, timepoint 1 | Evergy Kansas Central Inc [100%] | Evergy Inc [100.0%] |
| Unit 4, timepoint 2 | Evergy Kansas Central Inc [100%] | Evergy Inc [100.0%] |
| Unit 5, timepoint 1 | Evergy Kansas Central Inc [100%] | Evergy Inc [100.0%] |
| Unit 5, timepoint 2 | Evergy Kansas Central Inc [100%] | Evergy Inc [100.0%] |
Unit-level fuel conversion details:
Unit 4: Announced conversion from coal to fossil gas in 2029.
Unit 5: Announced conversion from coal to fossil gas in 2029.
Project-level coal details
- Coal source(s): domestic
Impacts
Potential emissions and details on the project's status and permit applications can be viewed on Oil and Gas Watch page here.
The Oil and Gas Watch database, created by Environmental Integrity Project (EIP), is a free, public-facing tool designed to track the rapid expansion of fossil fuel and petrochemical infrastructure in the United States. Oil and Gas Watch maps new and expanding oil, gas, and petrochemical infrastructure projects across the country and monitors each project’s construction status so the public can stay informed about major oil and gas developments being proposed in their communities. We track key environmental approvals companies must obtain before starting construction or operations and provide access to thousands of government records and permits unearthed by our analysts.
Ownership Tree
This ownership tree is part of the Global Energy Ownership Tracker, a project of Global Energy Monitor.
Unit Retirements
Unit 3 was retired on December 31, 2015.[10][11]
In April 2021 Evergy reported that it would cease operations at the Lawrence Energy Center by the end of 2023.[12]
In June 2023, Evergy stated that, despite commitments to stop burning coal by the end of 2023, the Lawrence Energy Center would now burn coal until 2028. They claimed that the decision was made "in order to effectively serve new customer demand" including a new Meta demand center, and to adapt to "changes in requirements of the Southwest Power Pool".[13]
Conversion to gas
In 2021, Evergy submitted a filing to the State Corporation Commission of the State of Kansas where the company was requesting approval of the retirement of Unit 4 and coal handling facilities for Units 4 and 5. The document also mentioned that initially Evergy had been planning to retire Unit 4 between December 2023 and the first half of 2024 and retain Unit 5 to operate for reliability purposes only on natural gas[14]; however, no further plans were announced. After pledging to stop burning coal at its Lawrence power plant by the end of 2023, Evergy’s president and CEO David Campbell recently decided to keep the plant open indefinitely without any public process or new retirement date. [15]
Emissions Data
- 2024 Gross Load (MWh): 1,342,804[16]
- 2024 SO2 Mass (short tons): 117[16]
- 2024 CO2 Mass (short tons): 1,157,882[16]
- 2024 NOx Mass (short tons): 735[16]
- 2023 Mercury emissions (Hg, lb): 8.5[17][18]
Death and disease attributable to fine particle pollution from the Lawrence Energy Center
In 2010, Abt Associates issued a study commissioned by the Clean Air Task Force, a nonprofit research and advocacy organization, quantifying the deaths and other health effects attributable to fine particle pollution from coal-fired power plants.[19] The study found that over 13,000 deaths and tens of thousands of cases of chronic bronchitis, acute bronchitis, asthma-related episodes and asthma-related emergency room visits, congestive heart failure, acute myocardial infarction, dysrhythmia, ischemic heart disease, chronic lung disease, peneumonia each year are attributable to fine particle pollution from U.S. coal-fired power plants. Fine particle pollution is formed from a combination of soot, acid droplets, and heavy metals formed from sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, and soot. Among those particles, the most dangerous are the smallest (smaller than 2.5 microns), which are so tiny that they can evade the lung's natural defenses, enter the bloodstream, and be transported to vital organs. Impacts are especially severe among the elderly, children, and those with respiratory disease. Low-income and minority populations are disproportionately impacted as well, due to the tendency of companies to avoid locating power plants upwind of affluent communities.
The table below estimates the death and illness attributable to the Lawrence Energy Center. Abt assigned a value of $7,300,000 to each 2010 mortality, based on a range of government and private studies. Valuations of illnesses ranged from $52 for an asthma episode to $440,000 for a case of chronic bronchitis.[20]
Table 1: Death and disease attributable to fine particle pollution from the Lawrence Energy Center
| Type of Impact | Annual Incidence | Valuation |
|---|---|---|
| Deaths | 9 | $63,000,000 |
| Heart attacks | 13 | $1,500,000 |
| Asthma attacks | 150 | $8,000 |
| Hospital admissions | 6 | $150,000 |
| Chronic bronchitis | 5 | $2,400,000 |
| Asthma ER visits | 10 | $4,000 |
Source: "Find Your Risk from Power Plant Pollution," Clean Air Task Force interactive table, accessed February 2011
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 https://www.gem.wiki/Coal_source_methodology_for_the_Global_Coal_Plant_Tracker.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 https://shareus11.springcm.com/Public/Document/35150/e56d0963-88e0-4e4b-999a-0587e0573f89/ba249c18-eec2-f011-b84a-48df377ee718.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 https://web.archive.org/web/20230509053328/https://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/eia860m/. Archived from the original on 2023-05-09. Retrieved 2026-04-16.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 "U.S. Energy Information Administration, Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory (April 2022)". Archived from the original on 2022-07-12. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 https://investors.evergy.com/static-files/5ef38971-0e2c-4f5f-8f39-04a9479dd7fc.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 6.0 6.1 (PDF) https://web.archive.org/web/20220806191357/https://estar.kcc.ks.gov/estar/ViewFile.aspx/S202109200727054038.pdf?Id=7918cb08-a60d-4dea-b4b0-eeafa61bc0d0. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2022-08-06.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20230617121618/https://www.kcur.org/news/2023-06-16/evergy-slashes-its-plans-to-expand-renewable-energy-and-proposes-more-natural-gas. Archived from the original on 2023-06-17.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://www.sierraclub.org/kansas/blog/2023/04/evergy-close-lawrence-power-plant.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://investors.evergy.com/2025IRPUpdate.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ "Form 10-K," SEC, Feb 2016
- ↑ Form EIA-860 Data - Schedule 3, 'Generator Data' US EIA, 2014
- ↑ "Evergy Sets Goal for Net-Zero Carbon Emissions by 2045, Interim Carbon Reduction Target of 70 percent by 2030" Evergy.com, April 30, 2021
- ↑ "Evergy updates long-term plan for meeting customer energy needs" Evergy.com, June 15, 2023
- ↑ "Petition of Evergy Kansas Central, Inc. and Evergy Kansas South, Inc. for Determination of Ratemaking Principles and Treatment" (PDF). estar.kcc.ks.gov. September 20, 2021. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Evergy, Close the Lawrence Power Plant". Sierra Club. April 2, 2023. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 EIA (2024). "Clean Air Markets Program Data (CAMD)". Retrieved 2025-02-20.
- ↑ Clean Air and Power Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (February 2024). "Annual data 2022 vs. 2023". Retrieved 2025-03-04.
- ↑ Toxics Release Inventory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (October 2024). "2023 Basic Plus Data". Retrieved 2025-03-04.
- ↑ "The Toll from Coal: An Updated Assessment of Death and Disease from America's Dirtiest Energy Source," Clean Air Task Force, September 2010.
- ↑ "Technical Support Document for the Powerplant Impact Estimator Software Tool," Prepared for the Clean Air Task Force by Abt Associates, July 2010
Additional data
To access additional data, including interactive maps of the power stations, downloadable datasets, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Plant Tracker and the Global Oil and Gas Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.
