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Energy company 'doubling down on costly, dirty coal' to power massive EV battery plant
A Kansas energy provider paused plans to transition away from coal power and will try to raise its rates to meet the energy demands of a new, $4 billion electric vehicle (EV) battery manufacturing factory. "Evergy is doubling down on costly, dirty coal and asking Kansans to foot the bill," Ty Gorman, a campaign representative for the Sierra Club Beyond Coal Campaign, wrote in April. "Evergy’s business decisions have squandered tens of millions of dollars on coal, causing an estimated 18 premature deaths annually and disproportionately harming Black and LatinX communities." Last year, Panasonic Energy broke ground on a 4 million-square-foot EV project in De Soto, Kansas, one of the largest facilities of its kind in the U.S. To meet energy demands, Evergy, the utility company serving the factory, will continue burning coal at part of its nearby Lawrence Energy Center until at least 2028, delaying plans to transition to natural gas by the end of the year. Additionally, to help pay for the infrastructure required to meet Panasonic’s anticipated electricity demand, Evergy plans to ask the Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC) for a rate increase on residential customers’ energy bills in parts of the state, according to The Kansas City Star. Before these moves drew criticism from environmental advocates and Kansas officials, the project was touted as a huge win for the state. "This project will be transformative for our state’s economy, providing in total 8,000 high-quality jobs that will help more Kansans create better lives for themselves and their children," Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly said when the project was announced in July 2022. "Winning this project shows that Kansas has what it takes to compete on a global scale — and that our pro-business climate is driving the technological innovation needed to achieve a more prosperous and sustainable future." The EV factory will require between 200 and 250 megawatts of electricity to operate, around the amount needed to power a small city, The Kansas City Star reported.
Posted by: Skidmark 2023-10-03 |
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