Draft:Lawrence Energy Center
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Submission declined on 24 August 2025 by Aydoh8 (talk).
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The Lawrence Energy Center (LEC) is a coal-fired power plant located in Lawrence, Douglas County, Kansas. It is owned and operated by Evergy Kansas Central . As of 2025, LEC has two active units: Unit 4, with a 114 MW capacity, and Unit 5, with a 403 MW capacity. Bringing the plant to a total capacity of 517 MW.[1]
Evergy plans to phase out coal usage at LEC, and in general, by 2028. This will include the removal of Unit 4 and a likely conversion to Natural Gas for Unit 5.[2]
Units 1, 2, and 3 have been decommissioned and are no longer in operation.[1]
History
[edit]The first 3 units
[edit]| Lawrence Energy Center | |
|---|---|
 My image of the Lawrence Energy Center, November 2023. | |
| Country | United States |
| Location | Lawrence, Kansas |
| Status | Operational |
| Commission date | 1938 |
| Owner | KPL 1938- 1992, Westar 1992-2018, Evergy 2018-Now |
| Operator | Evergy Kansas Central. |
| Employees | 55 |
| Thermal power station | |
| Primary fuel | Subbituminous coal |
| Chimneys | 3 |
| Cooling source | Forced Draft Cooling Towers |
| Power generation | |
| Nameplate capacity | 517 MW |
The Lawrence Energy Center was commissioned in 1938, following Unit One. The plant was designed to meet demand for the area's power. In the past, the only power made inside of Lawrence was from the Bowersock Dam, which started to produce power in the 1880s. Later on, in 1952, Kansas Power and Light (KPL) opened the much smaller Unit 2, at only 38 MW, then only 3 years later in 1955, Unit 3, at 49 MW[3][4]
Units 4 and 5 open
[edit]After 5 more years, or 1960, KPL opened Unit 4, at 114 MW. It wasn't until 1971 that the largest and last unit of the plant, Unit 5, was opened with a much larger 403 MW capacity. At this point in time, Kansas Power and Light would be making over 600 MW of power, making them the largest Coal Plant in Kansas; however, this would not stand for long, as La Cygne and Jeffrey Energy Center would open soon after, bringing LEC to third. [4][5]
Company transfers
[edit]In 1992, KPL merged with KG&E (The Kansas Gas and Electric Company), to make Western Resources, later Westar.[6] Westar was in operation until 2018, when Great Plains Energy, parent to Kansas City Power & Light, merged with it to create Evergy.
Shut down of units 1,2, and 3
[edit]Westar decided to start shutting down the first 3 units in the 90s due to them being over 40 and being inefficient. The exact date Unit 1 shut down is unknown, however it was most likely in the 1990s, just before Unit 2. Unit 2 followed in 2000, and then unit 3 in 2015, bringing an end to the start of the facility. [7] [1]
Evergy did plan to shut down Units 4 and 5 in 2023; however, this did not happen, and they pushed the date to 2028. This change was most likely due to demand, which was higher than expected, although Evergy never publicly stated why.[8][9]
Operations
[edit]The facility
[edit]Units 4 and 5 are still operational and produce over 500 MW of electricity for Lawrence and the nearby area. There are an estimated 55 employees at the plant.[8] The facility uses a row of Forced Draft Cooling Towers to the west of the plant, and the nearby Kansas River for cooling.[10] The plant holds a large amount of coal on-site in a coal pile to the east.[7] The coal is hauled in by rail, as the plant is connected to the BNSF Railway. [11]
Public view
[edit]The plant has been the subject of public opposition, with multiple rallies and campaigns urging its closure, especially after Evergy said the plant would not be shut down in 2023.[12][13]
Incidents
[edit]Fatal Explosion
[edit]Due to many safety violations, three workers died in an electrical explosion in November 1997. This happened after safety guards had been removed from a high-voltage circuit breaker. OSHA stated that the explosion was most likely caused by one of the safety guards touching a conductor. This caused a 26-foot fireball, killing one of the employees instantly. Later, the other two employees died at the University of Kansas Health System in Kansas City due to injuries. The plant was fined $455,000 following the incident.[14]
Fires
[edit]LEC has had 3 Fires, one in the early morning of February 5, 2014, a second one in December of 2018, and a third one, relating to the turbine explosion that follows, on April 1, 2021. None of the 3 fires had been reported fatal.[15][16][17]
Turbine Explosion
[edit]Relating to the April 1, 2021, fire, there was an Explosion with one of the turbines. It was damaged beyond repair; however, nothing else was affected. This Indecent was not fatal.[18]
Environmental Impact
[edit]The LEC has commonly been criticized for environmental impacts, not only to the air but also to the groundwater. Over 10 monitoring wells in the area have reported a high number of chemicals, such as Boron, Chloride, Lithium, Radium, and Sulfate.[19] . The plant also leads to 1,157,882 short tons of CO2 Emissions, leading to an estimated 9 deaths a year.[1] The plant has also caused harm to wildlife in the Kansas River. [20] [10]
See Also
[edit]• List of power stations in Kansas
• Kansas
• Evergy
Reference List
[edit]- ^ a b c d "Lawrence Energy Center (Kansas)". Global Energy Monitor. Retrieved 2025-08-24.
- ^ Evergy Progress Report 2024
- ^ "Dozens rally outside Lawrence City Hall to urge Evergy to shut down Lawrence's coal-fired power plant". LJWorld.com. Retrieved 2025-08-24.
- ^ a b "EJmap". ejmap.org. Retrieved 2025-08-24.
- ^ "Kansas and coal". Global Energy Monitor. 2021-04-30. Retrieved 2025-08-24.
- ^ "History of Westar Energy, Inc". FundingUniverse. Retrieved 2025-08-24.
- ^ a b POWER (2007-07-15). "Westar's Lawrence Energy Center wins for not blinking on safety". POWER Magazine. Retrieved 2025-08-24.
- ^ a b "Evergy to close coal-fired power plant just outside of Lawrence". LJWorld.com. Retrieved 2025-08-24.
- ^ "Evergy updates long-term plan for meeting customer energy needs". Evergy | Newsroom. Retrieved 2025-08-24.
- ^ a b "Impact of coal fired power plants on fisheries - Problems | Climate Connection". climateconnection.org.in. Retrieved 2025-08-24.
- ^ Chilson, Morgan (2025-07-21). "Evergy seeks $55 million in damages for BNSF's failure to meet coal deliveries in Kansas, Missouri • Kansas Reflector". Kansas Reflector. Retrieved 2025-08-24.
- ^ "Lawrence rally calls for Evergy to close coal-fired plant". The Lawrence Times. 2023-09-12. Retrieved 2025-08-24.
- ^ "Evergy, Close the Lawrence Power Plant | Sierra Club". www.sierraclub.org. Retrieved 2025-08-24.
- ^ "Company fined $455,000 after deadly explosion | 1998-07-01 | AHC…". Clinician.com. Retrieved 2025-08-24.
- ^ "Operation 100 News blog | Fire reported at Lawrence Energy Center". LJWorld.com. Retrieved 2025-08-24.
- ^ "Crews extinguish fire at Lawrence Energy Center". LJWorld.com. Retrieved 2025-08-24.
- ^ "Overnight fire at Evergy's Lawrence-area energy plant was caused by turbine malfunction". LJWorld.com. Retrieved 2025-08-24.
- ^ "Did you hear that boom? Explosion at Lawrence power plant was from turbine malfunction". The Lawrence Times. 2021-04-01. Retrieved 2025-08-24.
- ^ "EIP Ashtracker". ashtracker.org. Retrieved 2025-08-24.
- ^ "Coal-Fired Plants". kansasriver.org. Retrieved 2025-08-24.
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