NASDAQ:EVRG Evergy Q1 2022 Earnings Results & Report $84.95 +1.80 (+2.16%) Closing price 10/22/2026 04:00 PM EasternExtended Trading$85.03 +0.08 (+0.09%) As of 07:39 AM Eastern Extended trading is trading that happens on electronic markets outside of regular trading hours. This is a fair market value extended hours price provided by Massive. Learn more. Evergy beat analyst earnings expectations but missed on revenue in its Q1 2022 results, released May 5, 2022. The company reported EPS of $0.58 versus the $0.55 consensus estimate, while revenue of $1.22 billion fell short of the $1.43 billion estimate by $207.95 million. Research:ProfileEarnings HistoryForecast Earnings Announcement Details QuarterQ1 2022Report DateMay 5, 2022TimeBefore Market OpensConference Call9:08 AM ET Evergy EPS ResultsActual EPS$0.58Consensus EPS $0.55Beat/MissBeat by +$0.03One Year Ago EPS$0.55EPS Beat Rate4 of last 8 quartersEvergy Revenue ResultsActual Revenue$1.22 billionExpected Revenue$1.43 billionBeat/MissMissed by -$207.95 millionYoY Revenue GrowthN/AUpcoming EarningsEvergy's Q3 2026 earnings is estimated for Thursday, November 5, 2026, based on past reporting schedules, with a conference call scheduled at 9:00 AM ET. Check back for transcripts, audio, and key financial metrics as they become available.Q3 2026 Earnings ReportConference Call ResourcesConference Call AudioConference Call TranscriptSlide DeckPress Release (8-K)Quarterly Report (10-Q)Earnings HistoryCompany ProfileSlide DeckFull Screen Slide DeckPowered by Evergy Q1 2022 Earnings Call TranscriptProvided by QuartrMay 5, 2022ShareShareShare This ReportLink copied to clipboard.Key Takeaways Q1 earnings: Delivered adjusted EPS of $0.58 vs. $0.55 in Q1 2021, driven by higher transmission margins and lower operating expenses, and reaffirmed 2022 guidance of $3.43–$3.63 with a 6%–8% long-term EPS growth target. Regulatory and legislative progress includes agreements to recover ~$120 M of Kansas winter storm costs over two years and ~$300 M of Missouri costs via 15-year securitization, while seeking to extend Missouri’s PISA law with a 2.5% cap through 2028. ESG advances highlight a ~50% reduction in carbon emissions since 2005, plans for a 10 MW solar array, a net-zero carbon target by 2045 with 70% cuts by 2030, and improved third-party ESG scores. Weather-normalized retail sales rose 40 bps, led by higher industrial and commercial demand, and Evergy secured economic development wins including an $800 M Meta data center and a $650 M biomanufacturing facility. Maintaining a $10.7 B five-year capital plan targeting 5%–6% rate base growth through 2026, with ongoing T&D investments supporting reliability amid increased severe weather events. AI Generated. May Contain Errors.Conference Call Audio Live Call not available Earnings Conference CallEvergy Q1 202200:00 / 00:00Speed:1x1.25x1.5x2xTranscript SectionsPresentationParticipantsPresentationSkip to Participants Operator00:00:00Good day, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the first quarter 2022 Evergy, Inc. earnings conference call. At this time, all participants are in listen-only mode. Later, we will conduct a question-and-answer session, and instructions will follow at that time. If anyone should require assistance during the conference, please press star zero on your touchtone phone. As a reminder, this conference call is being recorded. I would now like to introduce your host for today's conference, Lori Wright, Vice President, Investor Relations and Treasurer. Thank you. Please go ahead. Lori WrightVP of Corporate Planning, Investor Relations, and Treasurer at Evergy, Inc.00:00:30Thank you, Blue. Good morning, everyone, and welcome to Evergy's first quarter call. Thank you for joining us this morning. Today's discussion will include forward-looking information. Slide two and the disclosure in our SEC filings contain a list of some of the factors that could cause future results to differ materially from our expectations and include additional information on non-GAAP financial measures. The releases issued this morning, along with today's webcast slides and supplemental financial information for the quarter, are available on the main page of our website at investors.evergy.com. On the call today, we have David Campbell, Evergy's President and Chief Executive Officer, and Kirk Andrews, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. David will cover our first quarter highlights, our regulatory and legislative priorities, and our enhanced ESG profile. Lori WrightVP of Corporate Planning, Investor Relations, and Treasurer at Evergy, Inc.00:01:25Kirk will cover in more detail the first quarter results, the latest on sales and customers, and our financial outlook. Other members of management are with us and will be available during the question-and-answer portion of the call. I will now turn the call over to David. David CampbellPresident and CEO at Evergy, Inc.00:01:43Thanks, Lori, and good morning, everyone. I'll begin on slide five. I'm pleased to report that we had a solid first quarter as we delivered adjusted earnings per share of $0.58 compared to $0.55 in 2021. The increase in adjusted earnings over last year was driven primarily by higher transmission margin and lower operating expenses, partially offset by an increase in depreciation and amortization and a higher income tax expense. Kirk will discuss these first quarter drivers in more detail. One of our objectives is to become widely recognized for operational excellence, which includes safety. Our strong safety culture drives both discipline and consistency of performance, as well as cost management. During the first quarter, our employees participated in a safety roadshow that included presentations at 70 sessions throughout our service territory. David CampbellPresident and CEO at Evergy, Inc.00:02:32This continued focus on safety has contributed to a 68% reduction in OSHA-recordable safety events relative to the first quarter of 2021. I would like to thank all Evergy employees for their focus on safety and their dedication to providing safe, reliable, and affordable power to our customers. I would also like to congratulate our Wolf Creek Nuclear Plant for completing a project to store spent fuel in a concrete bunker adjacent to the plant. This was Wolf Creek's first dry cask fuel storage campaign, and the team did an excellent job managing the project. With a solid start to the year, we are reaffirming our 2022 adjusted EPS guidance of $3.43-$3.63 per share, as well as our target long-term annual EPS growth rate of 6%-8% from 2021 to 2025. David CampbellPresident and CEO at Evergy, Inc.00:03:25Slide six highlights the core tenets of our strategy. Affordability, reliability, and sustainability. Keeping rates affordable is at the forefront of our thinking, given its importance to our customers, especially given current economic conditions. We've made clear progress in advancing the competitiveness of our regional rates over the last few years, and our plan is constructed to continue this trajectory. We are closely monitoring and managing inflation in all aspects of our business, and regarding fuel cost inflation in particular. We are well-positioned relative to many other utilities given our relatively lower level of natural gas exposure, as natural gas comprises typically 5% or less of our generation fuel mix annually. We, like many of our peers, have revisited our commodity procurement and hedging practices in light of the increased volatility, which is at levels not seen for more than a decade. David CampbellPresident and CEO at Evergy, Inc.00:04:17Ensuring reliability is also a core element of our strategy. Along with safety, this includes a focus on metrics relating to customer service, the commercial availability of our fleet, safety, and all elements of our operations, including infrastructure investment. This spring has brought resiliency to the forefront as high winds in our service territory have been significantly more prevalent than normal, including several days in recent weeks with wind gusts in the 50-60 miles per hour range. These types of conditions reinforce the importance of our ongoing transmission and distribution investments. With respect to sustainability, our track record includes reducing our carbon emissions by nearly 50% versus 2005 levels and providing nearly half of our energy from carbon-free sources. In January, we announced plans to build a 10-mw solar array at our Hawthorn plant, pending regulatory approval. David CampbellPresident and CEO at Evergy, Inc.00:05:07In February, Evergy's cumulative wind power generation passed the 90 million mw-hour milestone. That's enough wind power to fuel more than 300 billion miles of electric vehicle travel. We will continue our generation transition towards cleaner energy while always balancing affordability and reliability. On slide seven, I'll profile another element of our corporate strategy relating to environmental, social, and governance measures. Since forming Evergy in 2018, we've enhanced our ESG practices and disclosures, which have yielded significant progress in our third-party ESG scores, as reflected on the slide. For example, last year, we introduced our 2045 net-zero carbon target with an interim goal of 70% reductions by 2030, building on our track record and trajectory of historical emissions reductions. David CampbellPresident and CEO at Evergy, Inc.00:05:53Beyond environmental policy, we've also taken a comprehensive approach to reviewing and updating our social and governance policies and related disclosures. Examples include a corporate human rights policy, improved board governance bylaws, expanded shareholder rights, and a formalized water policy, among many others. In addition, our board has linked executive compensation to the successful execution of both environmental and diversity, equity, and inclusion aspects of our business. We're proud of the advancements we've made to further demonstrate our commitment to leading ESG practices. We are focused on maintaining this momentum as we execute our plan and deliver sustainable results in the years ahead. Now, before handing it over to Kirk, I'll conclude by discussing some of our key regulatory and legislative priorities on slide eight. In Kansas, we recently reached a non-unanimous stipulation and agreement with key intervenors for the Winter Storm Uri costs from February 2021. David CampbellPresident and CEO at Evergy, Inc.00:06:49The settlement calls for the roughly $120 million of deferred extraordinary fuel, purchased power, and non-fuel costs at Kansas Central to be recovered through our fuel clause over a two-year period, beginning in April of next year. Similarly, the $37 million of net benefits at Kansas Metro will be returned to customers via the same method over a one-year period, also beginning in April 2023. We remain on track to file this summer the annual update to our Kansas and Missouri integrated resource plans. We expect that the annual filing will be consistent with the resource plan that we laid out in last year's triennial IRP filing and the renewables development plan that Kirk discussed during our Investor Day last September. In Missouri, we initiated the securitization process to recover the approximately $300 million of Winter Storm Uri costs at Missouri West. David CampbellPresident and CEO at Evergy, Inc.00:07:42If approved, securitization will extend the recovery period for these costs over 15 years and thereby significantly moderate the impacts on customers. In terms of timing, we expect an order in the securitization proceeding in the fall of this year. Last month, we began flowing the approximately $25 million of net benefits from Uri back to Missouri Metro customers. This benefit will be shared over a one-year period. I'll wrap up the slide with an update on our legislative efforts to enhance and extend the plant and service accounting law known as PISA in Missouri. The bill under consideration sets an annual revenue requirement cap at 2.5%, applicable only to PISA-related deferrals. The bill also includes a property tax tracker and extends the law through 2028, with the opportunity for extension through 2033 with commission approval. David CampbellPresident and CEO at Evergy, Inc.00:08:33We are encouraged by the support the bill has received in both the Senate and House, and we'll continue to work with legislators and parties to secure passage over the next 10 days. With respect to the pending Missouri rate case, we expect to receive intervener direct testimony on June 8 related to revenue requirements, and on June 22 relating to rate design aspects, with rebuttal testimony due mid-July and surrebuttal testimony due mid-August. A settlement conference is scheduled for August 22, with hearings later that month through early September. Revised rates in Missouri will go effective on December 6. We look forward to working with parties to constructively resolve the case. I will now turn the call over to Kirk. Kirk AndrewsEVP and CFO at Evergy, Inc.00:09:16Thanks, David, and good morning, everyone. I'll start with the results for the quarter on slide 10. For the first quarter of 2022, Evergy delivered adjusted earnings of $134 million or $0.58 per share. That's compared to $125 million or $0.55 per share in the first quarter of 2021. First quarter adjusted EPS was driven by the following items as shown on the chart from left to right. As expected, higher margin driven by our transmission investments drove a $0.05 increase. Adjusted O&M expense was approximately $13 million lower or $0.04 per share due to reduced credit loss expense, lower transmission and distribution expense as well. $0.03 of higher depreciation and amortization expense due to increased infrastructure investment. Kirk AndrewsEVP and CFO at Evergy, Inc.00:10:04Finally, we had $0.03 of unfavorable income tax expense, which was an inter-year timing impact related to income tax smoothing, which we'll reverse throughout the year. I will also note our first quarter adjusted EPS excludes a $0.05 loss on one of our Evergy Ventures investments, which went public via SPAC in the fourth quarter of 2021. As you may recall, our fourth quarter 2021 EPS similarly excluded a larger mark-to-market gain associated with this same investment. On a cumulative basis, relative to our original investment, this results in a net gain of approximately $0.04. Finally, as David mentioned, given the solid first quarter results combined with our outlook over the balance of this year, we're reaffirming our adjusted EPS guidance range of $3.43-$3.63 per share for 2022. Kirk AndrewsEVP and CFO at Evergy, Inc.00:10:59Consistent with historical patterns, we expect our second quarter adjusted earnings to contribute approximately 20% of our total adjusted EPS for the full year. Turning to slide 11, I'll provide a brief update on recent sales and customer trends. On the left-hand side of the slide, you'll see that overall, our weather-normalized retail sales for the quarter were up about 40 basis points, which drove a small positive variance in earnings, largely in line with expectations. Demand by subcategory, as expected, continues to reflect a reversal of the impact of COVID in the prior year as we return to more normal conditions with lower residential demand as fewer customers are working from home, while commercial and especially industrial demand trend higher. Kirk AndrewsEVP and CFO at Evergy, Inc.00:11:46As summarized on the lower right of the slide, on the economic development front, Meta, formerly known as Facebook, chose the Kansas City region for a new $800 million data center, which is expected to bring over 1,400 construction jobs to the area. Additionally, Northeast Kansas was selected as a site for a new $650 million biomanufacturing facility, which is expected to add 500 jobs to our service territory. Finally, last month, Bombardier announced that Wichita, Kansas, the Air Capital of the world, will be the new home of its U.S. headquarters and will bring along hundreds of new jobs to that region. Finally, on slide 12, our focus remains on continuing to demonstrate a strong track record of execution. Kirk AndrewsEVP and CFO at Evergy, Inc.00:12:32We've reaffirmed our adjusted EPS guidance for 2022, as well as our long-term compounded annual EPS growth rate of 6%-8% from 2021 to 2025 based on the midpoint of last year's original EPS guidance of $3.30. We expect to return a meaningful portion of our earnings growth to our shareholders by maintaining our dividend payout ratio to keep that dividend growth in line with earnings. We continue to invest in our infrastructure to improve affordability, enhance reliability and customer service, while advancing our sustainability and transitioning our generation fleet, as reflected in our $10.7 billion five-year CapEx plan through 2026, which is consistent with the targeted rate base growth of 5%-6% from 2021 to 2026. Kirk AndrewsEVP and CFO at Evergy, Inc.00:13:24With that, I'll hand the call back to David. David CampbellPresident and CEO at Evergy, Inc.00:13:27We would now welcome your questions. Operator00:13:32Again, as a reminder, to ask a question, please press star one on your telephone keypad. To ask a question, please press star one. To withdraw your question, just press the pound key. Please stand by while we compile the queuing roster. Your first question comes from the line of Michael Sullivan from Wolfe Research. Your line's now open. Michael SullivanDirector of Equity Research at Wolfe Research00:13:55Hey, everyone. Good morning. David CampbellPresident and CEO at Evergy, Inc.00:13:57Good morning. Michael SullivanDirector of Equity Research at Wolfe Research00:13:59Hey, David. I wanted to start with the pending Missouri legislation there. Maybe if you could just give us a little more color on the process. Is it really just a matter of working through things here, or do you sense there is some level of opposition that could waylay things at the last moment? If it does get done, just does that change the way you think about how you invest or frequency of rate case filings and things like that? David CampbellPresident and CEO at Evergy, Inc.00:14:28Thanks, Michael. It's a great question. You know, the broad-based support for the extension of the bill is reflected by versions passing through both the Senate and the House. The main issue at this point is just working through with the end of the session a week from tomorrow. It's just working through, can we get things through the session as with every bill that's pending? You know, it's typically a bit of a race, both the marathon through the night and a race to get things through the session. That's really the main issue to work through. David CampbellPresident and CEO at Evergy, Inc.00:14:58In terms of our plan, I think that what PISA reflects and the support for PISA reflects is the support that's in Missouri for the ongoing investment in both the resiliency and reliability of the system, as well as the, you know, the transition towards renewable resources done with the focus on affordability and reliability. I don't know that it changes the plan. It just further reinforces and accentuates the themes of the plan, and allows us to do so in sort of an orderly basis. In terms of the rate case schedule, you know, we don't have a fixed timetable that we're mandated to follow, nor would this bill require one, so I think it won't change our plans in terms of timing. David CampbellPresident and CEO at Evergy, Inc.00:15:39That will really be driven by the level of investment and when we wanna get things to, you know, the usual factors that balance when you file a case. Hopefully, that makes sense. Michael SullivanDirector of Equity Research at Wolfe Research00:15:47Yep. No, it did. It does. Also wanted to circle back to just the near-term resource planning. I think on the last call, you provided an update around the 190-mw solar project that it sounded like was slipping a little bit. I think in conjunction with that, you had the Lawrence coal plant retirement. Can you just update us on where that stands? David CampbellPresident and CEO at Evergy, Inc.00:16:12Sure. I'll hand to Kirk. I'll just briefly say the solar farm, the 190-mw solar farm that we call Pixley. We still are actively considering it, but we had pulled the predetermination process for that. We mentioned that on the last call. We also noted that it was not a material earnings driver in our forecast period because of the nature of the market-based rate structure we have. That was not a traditional rate base addition. That I think there is a timing question on Pixley, which does not have any kind of material earnings impact. The Lawrence plant, as you noted, we described in the last call our plans. David CampbellPresident and CEO at Evergy, Inc.00:16:50It's a two-unit coal plant outside Lawrence, Kansas, that we were linking the retirement timeline to the addition of the solar farm. I think we're still thinking along those lines. We're no longer planning to retire all 500 mw. We'll convert 350 mw, which is unit five, to gas so we can keep a reliability asset online. That's still the plan, and again, I think very consistent with the earnings trajectory and growth rate that we've laid out and affirmed. Kirk, anything you'd add? Kirk AndrewsEVP and CFO at Evergy, Inc.00:17:18Good. I mean, just obviously focused on, you know, consistency and certainty of cost there. With some of the headwinds we've seen with the recent Department of Commerce investigation around anti-dumping and countervailing duties, I think that's gonna be a little bit of a pacing item as we look to, you know, work constructively with our counterparty on that project. Overall, if at the very least it results in a delay, as David said, and I think I've talked to a lot of you about this, not a meaningful driver of earnings in the early years of our plan. If anything, it just shifts us closer to the point at which it would deliver a more consistent earnings stream. Kirk AndrewsEVP and CFO at Evergy, Inc.00:17:53Relatively small project and, you know, we're gonna continue to manage the process as we move forward with our counterparty here. David CampbellPresident and CEO at Evergy, Inc.00:17:59As Michael, as you know, our IRP, our integrated resource plan, was. I know it's been a big focus in recent calls. We have less solar over the near term. In 2024 and 2025, we're adding wind. The next Kansas solar is not scheduled for us to come online till 2026. We have 350 mw of solar in our IRP in 2026, so we're less exposed to the near-term issues in the supply chain and the tariff proceeding. Michael SullivanDirector of Equity Research at Wolfe Research00:18:28Super helpful. Thanks for all the help. David CampbellPresident and CEO at Evergy, Inc.00:18:31Thank you. Operator00:18:32Your next question comes from the line of Michael Lapides from Goldman Sachs. Your line's now open. Michael LapidesVP and Head of Energy Infrastructure Equity Research of Utilities and PIpelines at Goldman Sachs00:18:38Hey, guys, just one thing. Can you remind us on pension status what your funded status is? Given the move in rates, given the move in the market, how you're thinking about what that does to both pension liability and maybe more importantly, pension expense that flows through O&M? David CampbellPresident and CEO at Evergy, Inc.00:18:57It's the predominance of the Michaels this morning. Good morning, Michael. Michael following Michael. For us, it's not, we don't have an earnings exposure on it, given our regulatory mechanisms in the two states. Our funding status is relatively lower than some other plans, and that's again related to how our regulatory funding mechanisms work. I think we'll continue to show that funding level. We don't expect the change in interest rate is gonna have a material impact on the costs that flow through to rates to customers. For us, relative to others, it's just not the same kind of earnings driver. It's a pretty arcane setup and maybe simplest to go through it offline, but I think that headline summary is one that you can go with. Michael LapidesVP and Head of Energy Infrastructure Equity Research of Utilities and PIpelines at Goldman Sachs00:19:36Got it. Yeah, I knew Missouri had the tracker. I wouldn't know where Kansas did as well. That's super helpful. Much appreciated. One other question. Just any update on the discussions about buy-in of wind PPAs? David CampbellPresident and CEO at Evergy, Inc.00:19:50Kirk? Kirk AndrewsEVP and CFO at Evergy, Inc.00:19:51Sure, Michael. The only thing I'd tell you is we've, as I've said at the fourth quarter call, we felt confident enough given the progression of dialogue with a subset of those counterparties that we're targeting, getting at least one of those buy-ins, and potentially repowering done this year. We remain in active dialogue with those counterparties for progressing the discussion. I'll just reaffirm that we're continuing to target that, and we'll keep you apprised of it as we continue to progress that project or process, I should say. Michael LapidesVP and Head of Energy Infrastructure Equity Research of Utilities and PIpelines at Goldman Sachs00:20:20Got it. Thanks, Kirk. Much appreciated. That's not in your CapEx guidance, so that would all be incremental? Kirk AndrewsEVP and CFO at Evergy, Inc.00:20:27It is not. That would be incremental, yes. David CampbellPresident and CEO at Evergy, Inc.00:20:29Correct. Michael LapidesVP and Head of Energy Infrastructure Equity Research of Utilities and PIpelines at Goldman Sachs00:20:29Got it. Thanks, guys. Much appreciated. David CampbellPresident and CEO at Evergy, Inc.00:20:32Thank you, Michael. Operator00:20:34Your next question comes from the line of Julien Dumoulin from Bank of America. Your line is now open. Dariusz LoznySenior Investment Analyst at Bank of America00:20:41Hey, good morning, guys. This is Dariusz for Julien. Thanks for the time this morning. Just wanted to maybe come back to the Lawrence gas conversion discussion. Can you maybe just kind of talk through the puts and takes there relative to the 190 mw of solar that appears to be on hold at the moment, sort of, from a capital perspective, how the one compares to the other? David CampbellPresident and CEO at Evergy, Inc.00:21:09Good morning, Dariusz, and thanks for your question. You know, partly we're linking them for the energy replacement. We also were linking them because we can go through a linked predetermination process, so it's pretty efficient from a regulatory perspective to link those two together. That was really the main driver why the two were. We can decouple if we need to, and certainly we'll consider that over time. Again, the Pixley Solar project was very unusual in that it just didn't have any meaningful earnings impact till beyond our forecast period, so there's less impact from that. There's also a relatively modest impact from Lawrence because we're keeping the bulk of the plant online. There's some O&M savings, of course, that would happen from converting from coal to gas, but relatively modest impact on rate base. David CampbellPresident and CEO at Evergy, Inc.00:21:56We plan to securitize that, but we keep the large unit online. Again, it's a matter of convenience from a regulatory proceeding and energy management perspective to link the two, but we don't need to. It's not a must. We'll look at that as we continue to evaluate the cost of solar. I think that from an integrated resource planning perspective, we can accommodate that retirement of Lawrence. Your next question may relate to our overall commodity price environment. You know, that's certainly something we look at. Though, you know, we're talking about timeline of 2023, 2024, we'll have to see what the. I've lived through a number of natural gas cycles, believe it or not, so we'll see how long this one goes. That we will look at those dynamically. David CampbellPresident and CEO at Evergy, Inc.00:22:34They won't necessarily be linked, but they still currently are. Dariusz LoznySenior Investment Analyst at Bank of America00:22:40Okay, thank you. That's very helpful. One more if I can. This relates again to some of the objectives you guys set out on the Q4 call. Obviously, we're in an inflationary environment that's been in discussion certainly with respect to wind. You guys have stated that you're hoping to execute some build-transfer agreements for wind for delivery in the mid-decade timeframe. Can you just give an update on how those conversations are progressing? Kirk AndrewsEVP and CFO at Evergy, Inc.00:23:11Sure, Dariusz. It's Kirk. As a reminder, we do have 800 mw across the course of wind across the course of 2024 and 2025, 300 in 2024 and 500 in 2025. As we updated you, I think, last year and again in the fourth quarter, we launched an RFP process. Responses have been robust. We've kinda shortlisted counterparties. We're relatively and reasonably oversubscribed relative to that objective, and we're continuing to progress that dialogue. I think we've seen some constructive responses, and we'll continue to update as you move forward. We're targeting getting the first part of that done from an execution of build-transfer in time to get those projects online, that first 300 mw in 2024 and 2025. Kirk AndrewsEVP and CFO at Evergy, Inc.00:23:58As it stands now in that process, as we say, with the level of engagement we have with counterparties, we're still on track to deliver that, especially focusing on that first installment of 300 in 2024. Dariusz LoznySenior Investment Analyst at Bank of America00:24:16Okay. Appreciate the color. I'll turn it back here. Thank you. David CampbellPresident and CEO at Evergy, Inc.00:24:20Thanks, Dariusz. Operator00:24:22There are no further questions at this time. I would now like to turn the conference back to David Campbell, President and CEO. David CampbellPresident and CEO at Evergy, Inc.00:24:30Great. Thank you, Blue. Thanks everyone for your interest in Evergy. Have a great day. We'll conclude with that. Operator00:24:36This concludes today's conference call. Thank you for participating, and have a wonderful day. You may all disconnect.Read moreParticipantsExecutivesDavid CampbellPresident and CEOKirk AndrewsEVP and CFOLori WrightVP of Corporate Planning, Investor Relations, and TreasurerAnalystsDariusz LoznySenior Investment Analyst at Bank of AmericaMichael LapidesVP and Head of Energy Infrastructure Equity Research of Utilities and PIpelines at Goldman SachsMichael SullivanDirector of Equity Research at Wolfe ResearchPowered by Earnings DocumentsSlide DeckPress Release(8-K)Quarterly report(10-Q) Evergy Q1 2022 Earnings FAQ Did Evergy beat earnings estimates for Q1 2022? Evergy (NASDAQ:EVRG) reported earnings of $0.58 per share for Q1 2022, beating the consensus estimate of $0.55. The report was announced on Thursday, May 5, 2022. What was Evergy's revenue for Q1 2022? Evergy reported revenue of $1.22 billion for Q1 2022, against a consensus estimate of $1.43 billion. Where can I read Evergy's Q1 2022 earnings call transcript? The full Evergy Q1 2022 earnings conference call transcript is published on this page, including prepared remarks and the analyst Q&A session, along with the participants who spoke on the call. When is Evergy's next earnings date? Evergy's next earnings date is estimated for Thursday, November 5, 2026. MarketBeat tracks confirmed and estimated earnings dates for Evergy on the company's earnings history page. Evergy Earnings HeadlinesEvergy Schedules Conference Call to Discuss 3rd Quarter ResultsOctober 15, 2026 | businesswire.comEvergy Inc. stock outperforms competitors on strong trading daySeptember 30, 2026 | marketwatch.comTicker Revealed: Pre-IPO Access to "Next Elon Musk" CompanyWe’ve found The Next Elon Musk… and what we believe to be the next Tesla. It’s already racked up $26 billion in government contracts. Peter Thiel just bet $1 Billion on it.October 23 at 1:00 AM | Banyan Hill Publishing (Ad)Is Evergy Stock Underperforming the Dow?September 24, 2026 | barchart.comEvergy: Plug Your Portfolio Into Reliable Dividend GrowthSeptember 18, 2026 | seekingalpha.comEvergy Kansas Central Completes $350 Million Bond IssuanceSeptember 16, 2026 | tipranks.comSee More Evergy Headlines Get Earnings Announcements in your inboxWant to stay updated on the latest earnings announcements and upcoming reports for companies like Evergy? Sign up for Earnings360's daily newsletter to receive timely earnings updates on Evergy and other key companies, straight to your email. Email Address About EvergyEvergy (NASDAQ:EVRG), Inc. is an investor-owned electric utility that generates, transmits, distributes and sells electricity to residential, commercial, industrial and municipal customers. The company operates regulated utilities in Kansas and Missouri, providing electric service through its Kansas Central, Kansas South, Missouri Metro and Missouri West operations. Evergy’s generation portfolio includes wind, solar, coal, natural gas and nuclear power. The company also owns an interest in the Wolf Creek Generating Station, a nuclear power plant in Kansas, and continues to invest in renewable energy, grid modernization and other infrastructure intended to support reliable electricity service. Evergy was formed in 2018 through the merger of Westar Energy and Great Plains Energy, the parent company of Kansas City Power & Light. The company is headquartered in Topeka, Kansas, and its service territory includes communities throughout Kansas and western Missouri, as well as the Kansas City metropolitan area.View Evergy ProfileRead more More Earnings Resources from MarketBeat Earnings Tools Today's Earnings Tomorrow's Earnings Next Week's Earnings Upcoming Earnings Calls Earnings Newsletter Earnings Call Transcripts Earnings Beats & Misses Corporate Guidance Earnings Screener Latest Articles Texas Paused Data Center Hookups—2 Power Stocks Are Waiting on the VerdictIs Texas Instruments Setting Up for Its Next Big Breakout?Lam Research's Earnings Beat Wasn't the Real Story—Its 2027 Outlook WasTesla’s Flying-Car Hype Hits an Earnings Reality CheckMeta Bounces Back in Q3, But the Bigger Test Comes in 2027Cologuard Is Working—So Why Isn’t Abbott Stock?Pegasystems' Q3 Miss Exposed the Problem Standing Between AI and Cash Flow Upcoming Earnings Verizon Communications (10/26/2026)Nucor (10/26/2026)Public Storage (10/26/2026)Welltower (10/26/2026)Cadence Design Systems (10/26/2026)Hilton Worldwide (10/27/2026)Royal Caribbean Cruises (10/27/2026)CocaCola (10/27/2026)Coca Cola Femsa (10/27/2026)Baker Hughes (10/27/2026) Unlock superior investment research and tools. Sign up for MarketBeat All Access to gain access to MarketBeat's full suite of research tools and reports. Get MarketBeat All Access MarketBeat All Access Features Best-in-Class Portfolio Monitoring Get personalized stock ideas. Compare portfolio to indices. Check stock news, ratings, SEC filings, and more. Stock Ideas and Recommendations See daily stock ideas from top analysts. Receive short-term trading ideas from MarketBeat. Identify trending stocks on social media. Advanced Stock Screeners and Research Tools Use our seven stock screeners to find suitable stocks. Stay informed with MarketBeat's real-time news. Export data to Excel for personal analysis. Sign in to your free account to enjoy these benefits In-depth profiles and analysis for 20,000 public companies. Real-time analyst ratings, insider transactions, earnings data, and more. Our daily ratings and market update email newsletter. Sign in to your free account to enjoy all that MarketBeat has to offer. Sign In Create Account Your Email Address: Email Address Required Your Password: Password Required Log In Email Me a Login Link or Sign in with Facebook Sign in with Google Forgot your password? Your Email Address: Please enter your email address. Please enter a valid email address Choose a Password: Please enter your password. Your password must be at least 8 characters long and contain at least 1 number, 1 letter, and 1 special character. Create My Account (Free) or Sign in with Facebook Sign in with Google By creating a free account, you agree to our terms of service. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
PresentationSkip to Participants Operator00:00:00Good day, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the first quarter 2022 Evergy, Inc. earnings conference call. At this time, all participants are in listen-only mode. Later, we will conduct a question-and-answer session, and instructions will follow at that time. If anyone should require assistance during the conference, please press star zero on your touchtone phone. As a reminder, this conference call is being recorded. I would now like to introduce your host for today's conference, Lori Wright, Vice President, Investor Relations and Treasurer. Thank you. Please go ahead. Lori WrightVP of Corporate Planning, Investor Relations, and Treasurer at Evergy, Inc.00:00:30Thank you, Blue. Good morning, everyone, and welcome to Evergy's first quarter call. Thank you for joining us this morning. Today's discussion will include forward-looking information. Slide two and the disclosure in our SEC filings contain a list of some of the factors that could cause future results to differ materially from our expectations and include additional information on non-GAAP financial measures. The releases issued this morning, along with today's webcast slides and supplemental financial information for the quarter, are available on the main page of our website at investors.evergy.com. On the call today, we have David Campbell, Evergy's President and Chief Executive Officer, and Kirk Andrews, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. David will cover our first quarter highlights, our regulatory and legislative priorities, and our enhanced ESG profile. Lori WrightVP of Corporate Planning, Investor Relations, and Treasurer at Evergy, Inc.00:01:25Kirk will cover in more detail the first quarter results, the latest on sales and customers, and our financial outlook. Other members of management are with us and will be available during the question-and-answer portion of the call. I will now turn the call over to David. David CampbellPresident and CEO at Evergy, Inc.00:01:43Thanks, Lori, and good morning, everyone. I'll begin on slide five. I'm pleased to report that we had a solid first quarter as we delivered adjusted earnings per share of $0.58 compared to $0.55 in 2021. The increase in adjusted earnings over last year was driven primarily by higher transmission margin and lower operating expenses, partially offset by an increase in depreciation and amortization and a higher income tax expense. Kirk will discuss these first quarter drivers in more detail. One of our objectives is to become widely recognized for operational excellence, which includes safety. Our strong safety culture drives both discipline and consistency of performance, as well as cost management. During the first quarter, our employees participated in a safety roadshow that included presentations at 70 sessions throughout our service territory. David CampbellPresident and CEO at Evergy, Inc.00:02:32This continued focus on safety has contributed to a 68% reduction in OSHA-recordable safety events relative to the first quarter of 2021. I would like to thank all Evergy employees for their focus on safety and their dedication to providing safe, reliable, and affordable power to our customers. I would also like to congratulate our Wolf Creek Nuclear Plant for completing a project to store spent fuel in a concrete bunker adjacent to the plant. This was Wolf Creek's first dry cask fuel storage campaign, and the team did an excellent job managing the project. With a solid start to the year, we are reaffirming our 2022 adjusted EPS guidance of $3.43-$3.63 per share, as well as our target long-term annual EPS growth rate of 6%-8% from 2021 to 2025. David CampbellPresident and CEO at Evergy, Inc.00:03:25Slide six highlights the core tenets of our strategy. Affordability, reliability, and sustainability. Keeping rates affordable is at the forefront of our thinking, given its importance to our customers, especially given current economic conditions. We've made clear progress in advancing the competitiveness of our regional rates over the last few years, and our plan is constructed to continue this trajectory. We are closely monitoring and managing inflation in all aspects of our business, and regarding fuel cost inflation in particular. We are well-positioned relative to many other utilities given our relatively lower level of natural gas exposure, as natural gas comprises typically 5% or less of our generation fuel mix annually. We, like many of our peers, have revisited our commodity procurement and hedging practices in light of the increased volatility, which is at levels not seen for more than a decade. David CampbellPresident and CEO at Evergy, Inc.00:04:17Ensuring reliability is also a core element of our strategy. Along with safety, this includes a focus on metrics relating to customer service, the commercial availability of our fleet, safety, and all elements of our operations, including infrastructure investment. This spring has brought resiliency to the forefront as high winds in our service territory have been significantly more prevalent than normal, including several days in recent weeks with wind gusts in the 50-60 miles per hour range. These types of conditions reinforce the importance of our ongoing transmission and distribution investments. With respect to sustainability, our track record includes reducing our carbon emissions by nearly 50% versus 2005 levels and providing nearly half of our energy from carbon-free sources. In January, we announced plans to build a 10-mw solar array at our Hawthorn plant, pending regulatory approval. David CampbellPresident and CEO at Evergy, Inc.00:05:07In February, Evergy's cumulative wind power generation passed the 90 million mw-hour milestone. That's enough wind power to fuel more than 300 billion miles of electric vehicle travel. We will continue our generation transition towards cleaner energy while always balancing affordability and reliability. On slide seven, I'll profile another element of our corporate strategy relating to environmental, social, and governance measures. Since forming Evergy in 2018, we've enhanced our ESG practices and disclosures, which have yielded significant progress in our third-party ESG scores, as reflected on the slide. For example, last year, we introduced our 2045 net-zero carbon target with an interim goal of 70% reductions by 2030, building on our track record and trajectory of historical emissions reductions. David CampbellPresident and CEO at Evergy, Inc.00:05:53Beyond environmental policy, we've also taken a comprehensive approach to reviewing and updating our social and governance policies and related disclosures. Examples include a corporate human rights policy, improved board governance bylaws, expanded shareholder rights, and a formalized water policy, among many others. In addition, our board has linked executive compensation to the successful execution of both environmental and diversity, equity, and inclusion aspects of our business. We're proud of the advancements we've made to further demonstrate our commitment to leading ESG practices. We are focused on maintaining this momentum as we execute our plan and deliver sustainable results in the years ahead. Now, before handing it over to Kirk, I'll conclude by discussing some of our key regulatory and legislative priorities on slide eight. In Kansas, we recently reached a non-unanimous stipulation and agreement with key intervenors for the Winter Storm Uri costs from February 2021. David CampbellPresident and CEO at Evergy, Inc.00:06:49The settlement calls for the roughly $120 million of deferred extraordinary fuel, purchased power, and non-fuel costs at Kansas Central to be recovered through our fuel clause over a two-year period, beginning in April of next year. Similarly, the $37 million of net benefits at Kansas Metro will be returned to customers via the same method over a one-year period, also beginning in April 2023. We remain on track to file this summer the annual update to our Kansas and Missouri integrated resource plans. We expect that the annual filing will be consistent with the resource plan that we laid out in last year's triennial IRP filing and the renewables development plan that Kirk discussed during our Investor Day last September. In Missouri, we initiated the securitization process to recover the approximately $300 million of Winter Storm Uri costs at Missouri West. David CampbellPresident and CEO at Evergy, Inc.00:07:42If approved, securitization will extend the recovery period for these costs over 15 years and thereby significantly moderate the impacts on customers. In terms of timing, we expect an order in the securitization proceeding in the fall of this year. Last month, we began flowing the approximately $25 million of net benefits from Uri back to Missouri Metro customers. This benefit will be shared over a one-year period. I'll wrap up the slide with an update on our legislative efforts to enhance and extend the plant and service accounting law known as PISA in Missouri. The bill under consideration sets an annual revenue requirement cap at 2.5%, applicable only to PISA-related deferrals. The bill also includes a property tax tracker and extends the law through 2028, with the opportunity for extension through 2033 with commission approval. David CampbellPresident and CEO at Evergy, Inc.00:08:33We are encouraged by the support the bill has received in both the Senate and House, and we'll continue to work with legislators and parties to secure passage over the next 10 days. With respect to the pending Missouri rate case, we expect to receive intervener direct testimony on June 8 related to revenue requirements, and on June 22 relating to rate design aspects, with rebuttal testimony due mid-July and surrebuttal testimony due mid-August. A settlement conference is scheduled for August 22, with hearings later that month through early September. Revised rates in Missouri will go effective on December 6. We look forward to working with parties to constructively resolve the case. I will now turn the call over to Kirk. Kirk AndrewsEVP and CFO at Evergy, Inc.00:09:16Thanks, David, and good morning, everyone. I'll start with the results for the quarter on slide 10. For the first quarter of 2022, Evergy delivered adjusted earnings of $134 million or $0.58 per share. That's compared to $125 million or $0.55 per share in the first quarter of 2021. First quarter adjusted EPS was driven by the following items as shown on the chart from left to right. As expected, higher margin driven by our transmission investments drove a $0.05 increase. Adjusted O&M expense was approximately $13 million lower or $0.04 per share due to reduced credit loss expense, lower transmission and distribution expense as well. $0.03 of higher depreciation and amortization expense due to increased infrastructure investment. Kirk AndrewsEVP and CFO at Evergy, Inc.00:10:04Finally, we had $0.03 of unfavorable income tax expense, which was an inter-year timing impact related to income tax smoothing, which we'll reverse throughout the year. I will also note our first quarter adjusted EPS excludes a $0.05 loss on one of our Evergy Ventures investments, which went public via SPAC in the fourth quarter of 2021. As you may recall, our fourth quarter 2021 EPS similarly excluded a larger mark-to-market gain associated with this same investment. On a cumulative basis, relative to our original investment, this results in a net gain of approximately $0.04. Finally, as David mentioned, given the solid first quarter results combined with our outlook over the balance of this year, we're reaffirming our adjusted EPS guidance range of $3.43-$3.63 per share for 2022. Kirk AndrewsEVP and CFO at Evergy, Inc.00:10:59Consistent with historical patterns, we expect our second quarter adjusted earnings to contribute approximately 20% of our total adjusted EPS for the full year. Turning to slide 11, I'll provide a brief update on recent sales and customer trends. On the left-hand side of the slide, you'll see that overall, our weather-normalized retail sales for the quarter were up about 40 basis points, which drove a small positive variance in earnings, largely in line with expectations. Demand by subcategory, as expected, continues to reflect a reversal of the impact of COVID in the prior year as we return to more normal conditions with lower residential demand as fewer customers are working from home, while commercial and especially industrial demand trend higher. Kirk AndrewsEVP and CFO at Evergy, Inc.00:11:46As summarized on the lower right of the slide, on the economic development front, Meta, formerly known as Facebook, chose the Kansas City region for a new $800 million data center, which is expected to bring over 1,400 construction jobs to the area. Additionally, Northeast Kansas was selected as a site for a new $650 million biomanufacturing facility, which is expected to add 500 jobs to our service territory. Finally, last month, Bombardier announced that Wichita, Kansas, the Air Capital of the world, will be the new home of its U.S. headquarters and will bring along hundreds of new jobs to that region. Finally, on slide 12, our focus remains on continuing to demonstrate a strong track record of execution. Kirk AndrewsEVP and CFO at Evergy, Inc.00:12:32We've reaffirmed our adjusted EPS guidance for 2022, as well as our long-term compounded annual EPS growth rate of 6%-8% from 2021 to 2025 based on the midpoint of last year's original EPS guidance of $3.30. We expect to return a meaningful portion of our earnings growth to our shareholders by maintaining our dividend payout ratio to keep that dividend growth in line with earnings. We continue to invest in our infrastructure to improve affordability, enhance reliability and customer service, while advancing our sustainability and transitioning our generation fleet, as reflected in our $10.7 billion five-year CapEx plan through 2026, which is consistent with the targeted rate base growth of 5%-6% from 2021 to 2026. Kirk AndrewsEVP and CFO at Evergy, Inc.00:13:24With that, I'll hand the call back to David. David CampbellPresident and CEO at Evergy, Inc.00:13:27We would now welcome your questions. Operator00:13:32Again, as a reminder, to ask a question, please press star one on your telephone keypad. To ask a question, please press star one. To withdraw your question, just press the pound key. Please stand by while we compile the queuing roster. Your first question comes from the line of Michael Sullivan from Wolfe Research. Your line's now open. Michael SullivanDirector of Equity Research at Wolfe Research00:13:55Hey, everyone. Good morning. David CampbellPresident and CEO at Evergy, Inc.00:13:57Good morning. Michael SullivanDirector of Equity Research at Wolfe Research00:13:59Hey, David. I wanted to start with the pending Missouri legislation there. Maybe if you could just give us a little more color on the process. Is it really just a matter of working through things here, or do you sense there is some level of opposition that could waylay things at the last moment? If it does get done, just does that change the way you think about how you invest or frequency of rate case filings and things like that? David CampbellPresident and CEO at Evergy, Inc.00:14:28Thanks, Michael. It's a great question. You know, the broad-based support for the extension of the bill is reflected by versions passing through both the Senate and the House. The main issue at this point is just working through with the end of the session a week from tomorrow. It's just working through, can we get things through the session as with every bill that's pending? You know, it's typically a bit of a race, both the marathon through the night and a race to get things through the session. That's really the main issue to work through. David CampbellPresident and CEO at Evergy, Inc.00:14:58In terms of our plan, I think that what PISA reflects and the support for PISA reflects is the support that's in Missouri for the ongoing investment in both the resiliency and reliability of the system, as well as the, you know, the transition towards renewable resources done with the focus on affordability and reliability. I don't know that it changes the plan. It just further reinforces and accentuates the themes of the plan, and allows us to do so in sort of an orderly basis. In terms of the rate case schedule, you know, we don't have a fixed timetable that we're mandated to follow, nor would this bill require one, so I think it won't change our plans in terms of timing. David CampbellPresident and CEO at Evergy, Inc.00:15:39That will really be driven by the level of investment and when we wanna get things to, you know, the usual factors that balance when you file a case. Hopefully, that makes sense. Michael SullivanDirector of Equity Research at Wolfe Research00:15:47Yep. No, it did. It does. Also wanted to circle back to just the near-term resource planning. I think on the last call, you provided an update around the 190-mw solar project that it sounded like was slipping a little bit. I think in conjunction with that, you had the Lawrence coal plant retirement. Can you just update us on where that stands? David CampbellPresident and CEO at Evergy, Inc.00:16:12Sure. I'll hand to Kirk. I'll just briefly say the solar farm, the 190-mw solar farm that we call Pixley. We still are actively considering it, but we had pulled the predetermination process for that. We mentioned that on the last call. We also noted that it was not a material earnings driver in our forecast period because of the nature of the market-based rate structure we have. That was not a traditional rate base addition. That I think there is a timing question on Pixley, which does not have any kind of material earnings impact. The Lawrence plant, as you noted, we described in the last call our plans. David CampbellPresident and CEO at Evergy, Inc.00:16:50It's a two-unit coal plant outside Lawrence, Kansas, that we were linking the retirement timeline to the addition of the solar farm. I think we're still thinking along those lines. We're no longer planning to retire all 500 mw. We'll convert 350 mw, which is unit five, to gas so we can keep a reliability asset online. That's still the plan, and again, I think very consistent with the earnings trajectory and growth rate that we've laid out and affirmed. Kirk, anything you'd add? Kirk AndrewsEVP and CFO at Evergy, Inc.00:17:18Good. I mean, just obviously focused on, you know, consistency and certainty of cost there. With some of the headwinds we've seen with the recent Department of Commerce investigation around anti-dumping and countervailing duties, I think that's gonna be a little bit of a pacing item as we look to, you know, work constructively with our counterparty on that project. Overall, if at the very least it results in a delay, as David said, and I think I've talked to a lot of you about this, not a meaningful driver of earnings in the early years of our plan. If anything, it just shifts us closer to the point at which it would deliver a more consistent earnings stream. Kirk AndrewsEVP and CFO at Evergy, Inc.00:17:53Relatively small project and, you know, we're gonna continue to manage the process as we move forward with our counterparty here. David CampbellPresident and CEO at Evergy, Inc.00:17:59As Michael, as you know, our IRP, our integrated resource plan, was. I know it's been a big focus in recent calls. We have less solar over the near term. In 2024 and 2025, we're adding wind. The next Kansas solar is not scheduled for us to come online till 2026. We have 350 mw of solar in our IRP in 2026, so we're less exposed to the near-term issues in the supply chain and the tariff proceeding. Michael SullivanDirector of Equity Research at Wolfe Research00:18:28Super helpful. Thanks for all the help. David CampbellPresident and CEO at Evergy, Inc.00:18:31Thank you. Operator00:18:32Your next question comes from the line of Michael Lapides from Goldman Sachs. Your line's now open. Michael LapidesVP and Head of Energy Infrastructure Equity Research of Utilities and PIpelines at Goldman Sachs00:18:38Hey, guys, just one thing. Can you remind us on pension status what your funded status is? Given the move in rates, given the move in the market, how you're thinking about what that does to both pension liability and maybe more importantly, pension expense that flows through O&M? David CampbellPresident and CEO at Evergy, Inc.00:18:57It's the predominance of the Michaels this morning. Good morning, Michael. Michael following Michael. For us, it's not, we don't have an earnings exposure on it, given our regulatory mechanisms in the two states. Our funding status is relatively lower than some other plans, and that's again related to how our regulatory funding mechanisms work. I think we'll continue to show that funding level. We don't expect the change in interest rate is gonna have a material impact on the costs that flow through to rates to customers. For us, relative to others, it's just not the same kind of earnings driver. It's a pretty arcane setup and maybe simplest to go through it offline, but I think that headline summary is one that you can go with. Michael LapidesVP and Head of Energy Infrastructure Equity Research of Utilities and PIpelines at Goldman Sachs00:19:36Got it. Yeah, I knew Missouri had the tracker. I wouldn't know where Kansas did as well. That's super helpful. Much appreciated. One other question. Just any update on the discussions about buy-in of wind PPAs? David CampbellPresident and CEO at Evergy, Inc.00:19:50Kirk? Kirk AndrewsEVP and CFO at Evergy, Inc.00:19:51Sure, Michael. The only thing I'd tell you is we've, as I've said at the fourth quarter call, we felt confident enough given the progression of dialogue with a subset of those counterparties that we're targeting, getting at least one of those buy-ins, and potentially repowering done this year. We remain in active dialogue with those counterparties for progressing the discussion. I'll just reaffirm that we're continuing to target that, and we'll keep you apprised of it as we continue to progress that project or process, I should say. Michael LapidesVP and Head of Energy Infrastructure Equity Research of Utilities and PIpelines at Goldman Sachs00:20:20Got it. Thanks, Kirk. Much appreciated. That's not in your CapEx guidance, so that would all be incremental? Kirk AndrewsEVP and CFO at Evergy, Inc.00:20:27It is not. That would be incremental, yes. David CampbellPresident and CEO at Evergy, Inc.00:20:29Correct. Michael LapidesVP and Head of Energy Infrastructure Equity Research of Utilities and PIpelines at Goldman Sachs00:20:29Got it. Thanks, guys. Much appreciated. David CampbellPresident and CEO at Evergy, Inc.00:20:32Thank you, Michael. Operator00:20:34Your next question comes from the line of Julien Dumoulin from Bank of America. Your line is now open. Dariusz LoznySenior Investment Analyst at Bank of America00:20:41Hey, good morning, guys. This is Dariusz for Julien. Thanks for the time this morning. Just wanted to maybe come back to the Lawrence gas conversion discussion. Can you maybe just kind of talk through the puts and takes there relative to the 190 mw of solar that appears to be on hold at the moment, sort of, from a capital perspective, how the one compares to the other? David CampbellPresident and CEO at Evergy, Inc.00:21:09Good morning, Dariusz, and thanks for your question. You know, partly we're linking them for the energy replacement. We also were linking them because we can go through a linked predetermination process, so it's pretty efficient from a regulatory perspective to link those two together. That was really the main driver why the two were. We can decouple if we need to, and certainly we'll consider that over time. Again, the Pixley Solar project was very unusual in that it just didn't have any meaningful earnings impact till beyond our forecast period, so there's less impact from that. There's also a relatively modest impact from Lawrence because we're keeping the bulk of the plant online. There's some O&M savings, of course, that would happen from converting from coal to gas, but relatively modest impact on rate base. David CampbellPresident and CEO at Evergy, Inc.00:21:56We plan to securitize that, but we keep the large unit online. Again, it's a matter of convenience from a regulatory proceeding and energy management perspective to link the two, but we don't need to. It's not a must. We'll look at that as we continue to evaluate the cost of solar. I think that from an integrated resource planning perspective, we can accommodate that retirement of Lawrence. Your next question may relate to our overall commodity price environment. You know, that's certainly something we look at. Though, you know, we're talking about timeline of 2023, 2024, we'll have to see what the. I've lived through a number of natural gas cycles, believe it or not, so we'll see how long this one goes. That we will look at those dynamically. David CampbellPresident and CEO at Evergy, Inc.00:22:34They won't necessarily be linked, but they still currently are. Dariusz LoznySenior Investment Analyst at Bank of America00:22:40Okay, thank you. That's very helpful. One more if I can. This relates again to some of the objectives you guys set out on the Q4 call. Obviously, we're in an inflationary environment that's been in discussion certainly with respect to wind. You guys have stated that you're hoping to execute some build-transfer agreements for wind for delivery in the mid-decade timeframe. Can you just give an update on how those conversations are progressing? Kirk AndrewsEVP and CFO at Evergy, Inc.00:23:11Sure, Dariusz. It's Kirk. As a reminder, we do have 800 mw across the course of wind across the course of 2024 and 2025, 300 in 2024 and 500 in 2025. As we updated you, I think, last year and again in the fourth quarter, we launched an RFP process. Responses have been robust. We've kinda shortlisted counterparties. We're relatively and reasonably oversubscribed relative to that objective, and we're continuing to progress that dialogue. I think we've seen some constructive responses, and we'll continue to update as you move forward. We're targeting getting the first part of that done from an execution of build-transfer in time to get those projects online, that first 300 mw in 2024 and 2025. Kirk AndrewsEVP and CFO at Evergy, Inc.00:23:58As it stands now in that process, as we say, with the level of engagement we have with counterparties, we're still on track to deliver that, especially focusing on that first installment of 300 in 2024. Dariusz LoznySenior Investment Analyst at Bank of America00:24:16Okay. Appreciate the color. I'll turn it back here. Thank you. David CampbellPresident and CEO at Evergy, Inc.00:24:20Thanks, Dariusz. Operator00:24:22There are no further questions at this time. I would now like to turn the conference back to David Campbell, President and CEO. David CampbellPresident and CEO at Evergy, Inc.00:24:30Great. Thank you, Blue. Thanks everyone for your interest in Evergy. Have a great day. We'll conclude with that. Operator00:24:36This concludes today's conference call. Thank you for participating, and have a wonderful day. You may all disconnect.Read moreParticipantsExecutivesDavid CampbellPresident and CEOKirk AndrewsEVP and CFOLori WrightVP of Corporate Planning, Investor Relations, and TreasurerAnalystsDariusz LoznySenior Investment Analyst at Bank of AmericaMichael LapidesVP and Head of Energy Infrastructure Equity Research of Utilities and PIpelines at Goldman SachsMichael SullivanDirector of Equity Research at Wolfe ResearchPowered by