The merger of Sunflower Electric Power Corporation with Mid-Kansas Electric Company, two cooperatively operated, wholesale electric utilities, was effective Jan. 1, 2020.
Sunflower is owned by six distribution cooperatives that serve in western Kansas. In 2005, Sunflower’s members formed Mid-Kansas to bid on the sale of Aquila’s Kansas Electric Network properties. Member-owners of Mid-Kansas include five distribution cooperatives and one wholly owned subsidiary of a distribution cooperative that serve in central and western Kansas. Mid-Kansas began operation on April 1, 2007.
“The formation of Mid-Kansas by the Sunflower members gave more Kansans the opportunity to be served by the cooperative business model,” said Stuart Lowry, president and CEO of Sunflower and Mid-Kansas. “The success of Mid-Kansas has benefitted everyone—the members of Sunflower and Mid-Kansas and the thousands of Kansans they serve.”
Savings will result from operational efficiencies and access to lower financial lending rates due greater financial stability of the merged entities.
“Merging Sunflower and Mid-Kansas results in a single wholesale rate that can better sustain our recent rate decreases for our end-users,” said Steve Epperson, Mid-Kansas’ board chairman.