History
In 1909, The American Power & Light Company organized Kansas Gas and Electric Company to operate utilities in Wichita, Pittsburg and Frontenac. KG&E grew rapidly. At the end of 1910, it served three communities and 5,525 customers. By 1925, service extended to 50 communities and 48,773 customers. At one time, KG&E also provided natural gas to Hutchinson, Newton, Pittsburg and Wichita.
With financial backing from Illinois Power and Light Corporation, The Kansas Power and Light Company was founded in 1924 in Tecumseh. Transmission lines ran to Topeka and Atchison. The company immediately began acquiring customers and the assets of area electric and natural gas utilities. In 1983, KPL acquired The Gas Service Company and rights to serve its one million natural gas customers in Kansas] Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma.
In 1992, KPL merged with KG&E to become Western Resources. It served 560,000 electric customers and 1.06 million natural gas customers in three states. In 1996, an agreement gave Tulsa, Oklahoma-based ONEOK, Inc. ownership of Western Resources’ natural gas business. In return, Western Resources received approximately 45 percent ownership in ONEOK. This investment was sold in 2002 and 2003 as part of the company's renewed focus on being a pure electric utility.
In 2002, Western Resources shareholders approved changing the company’s name to Westar Energy.
Read more about this topic: Westar Energy
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“History takes time.... History makes memory.”
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