Kansas City May Face California’s Fate

California’s power crunch seems to be getting all the media attention, even though other parts of the country are facing the same fate.

Kansas City, Kan., has enough electricity to get it through the work week, but as far as the holiday weekend goes, Board of Public Utilities officials have no idea where they’ll get more power for the city.

Some people want a federal state of emergency declared in Wyandotte County. In response, the Board of Public Utilities will ask this week that the county request federal emergency funds.

The frozen Missouri River—already at a low water level—is preventing the Board of Public Utilities' Nearman generating plant from acquiring water to cool its pipes, which led to the plant’s closing.

The Board of Public Utilities also can't find anyone to purchase additional power from. The board bought $6 million of power over the past month at $105 per megawatt hour in peak times and $40 in off-peak times. Normally, it costs the board $11 to generate the electricity themselves.

One local power plant is running, but it doesn't produce enough power to carry the city. It remains unknown if the city can expect blackouts.