Kansas Older Homes Vulnerable to Power Outages, Yet Overhead Power Line Burying Brings Financial and Logistical Challenges

Older Homes in Kansas Prone to Power Outages: No Simple Solution in Sight

Residents in older, more affordable houses in Kansas are at a greater risk of power outages compared to their counterparts in newer, wealthier neighborhoods. The disparity in power reliability is causing mounting irritation amongst these residents who see a straightforward solution in the form of burying the overhead power lines. However, this is easier said than done, as this proposition is fraught with prohibitive expense and massive logistical challenges.

Heightened Vulnerability

Last July, a severe thunderstorm in northeast Kansas caused widespread damage, with ferocious winds knocking down trees across the region. The trees consequently crashed into overhead power lines, resulting in extensive power disruption. For example, Mark and Janie Abbott’s home in Overland Park built in the 1960s decade lost power for days due to the storm. The power lines in these older neighborhoods are above ground, leaving them vulnerable to such weather-related hazards. Particularly alarming was Mark’s father’s situation, a veteran living with them who relies on electronic devices to monitor his health – his needs illustrating the critical importance of a stable power supply in certain cases.

The Contrast with Newer Neighborhoods

A few miles south, it is a contrasting picture in Kyra Newkirk’s neighborhood. Here, the power lines are below ground, making them immune to the kind of naturally induced disruptions seen in the Abbotts’ neighborhood. Therefore, even in extreme weather conditions, such as a winter chill that led to 45,000 outages reportedly, Newkirk’s community was unaffected.

High Cost of Upgrades and The State’s Dilemma

While most Kansas residents are stumped by the wide disparity in service reliability and demand answers, the response from Evergy, the energy company in question, and consumer advocates hints at the complexity of the situation. Looking purely at the finance side, burying the overhead power lines is an extravagant proposition that is estimated to cost in the realm of billions of dollars. Unfortunately, the potentially inflated energy bills that would result from this action would be a huge blow to the customers who are already struggling to find an ideal solution. Consumer-oriented agencies like the Citizens’ Utility Ratepayer Board (CURB) have been vociferously arguing for keeping the electricity rates down, pointing to the damage a substantial hike can inflict on the common people.

In the face of mounting pressure, lawmakers do not seem to be enthusiastic about offering financial backing to Evergy to improve its infrastructure. This reluctance is due in part to political realism, the state’s financial condition, and the fact that the house owners who would benefit from the service upgrade constitute only a fraction of the state’s population.

The Way Forward

Given the difficulty of burying the power lines, the more feasible solution could be simply upgrading the current lines. Evergy has already carried out a trial project of burying existing overhead power lines, but it turned out to be ten times the cost of merely replacing the overhead lines. Evergy is thus focusing more on improving the current infrastructure, including replacing aging power line poles with newer ones, and restoring power as efficiently as possible during disruptions.

In this tricky scenario, balancing the need for improved infrastructure with the affordability considerations of the customers remains a daunting task for utility companies and state regulators. In the meantime, older neighborhood residents are left in anticipation of a resolution to their power woes.