Evergy switching station plans cause controversy in Riley County

MANHATTAN (KSNT) - Discussions of a new power station in a northeast Kansas neighborhood is causing some local controversy. 

Evergy is proposing a revised application for a new switching station right across from the Konza Prairie next to the Riley County Commission. An Evergy spokesperson said the company's goal is to continue providing the community with the power it needs now and supporting its future growth.

The proposed site is west of the McDowell Creek Road and the Konza Prairie Lane intersection. Evergy provided us with before and after mockups of what the construction will look like when it is complete. 

The switching station is a necessary part of expanding Evergy's power grid, but figuring out where to put it takes a lot of energy. Manhattan resident and board member of Friends of Konza Prairie, Ryan Klataske, is concerned about a station like this coming to the protected Konza Prairie.

"It's natural and cultural heritage will be impacted significantly, and local people will have this," Klataske said. "The spearhead of industrialization into this valley right here within The View shed of the Konza Prairie biological station, which is one of our state's most important protected areas."

Last year, the Riley County Commission denied Evergy's proposal to build an electrical switching station in Manhattan across the street from the Konza Prairie, and now Evergy is trying again.  Amanda Webb, the Riley County Planning Director, spoke with us about their revised application and its current status as of July 2024. 

"They've actually made some pretty decent significant changes in response," Webb said, "It has been reviewed by the Riley County planning board."

However, she mentioned the planning board suggests a denial as they did for the first proposal, but the commission will need to make that final decision.

Evergy has proposed moving the station 1,000 feet north of the initial site. The energy company says this switching station is needed for the future of the power grid, but locals are pushing back.

"I think this is an important opportunity for everyone," Klataske said. "Not just in this valley and in Manhattan, but also throughout Kansas, to really come together and say that this is a valuable resource for all of us. It's a shared and treasured natural and cultural resource that we should all come together to protect."

At the public hearing on Sept. 12, 2024, the Riley County Board of County Commissioners could either approve or deny the proposal. Another option is to table the issue and make the decision at a later meeting.

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