KCP&L accused of bad management at power plant

KANSAS CITY, Missouri - Kansas regulators have accused Kansas City Power and Light of construction mismanagement at its Iatan coal-fired power plant - causing millions in cost overruns that the company wants its customers to pay.

 A report from a consultant retained by the Kansas Corporation Commission says the utility ignored expert advice and delayed important decisions, adding costs and delays that put the power plant’s cost at almost $2 billion – almost double the original estimate.

The report also criticizes Burns & McDonnell, a Kansas City engineering firm, and Alstom, a company hired to work on Iatan 2’s boiler and environmental systems.

Construction began on the plant in 2006. Construction accidents led to four deaths at the plant.

Two workers died when a high pressure line ruptured at the plant in May 2007. One was from Liberty and one from Leavenworth. Another worker was killed at the plant in May 2008 when a construction crane toppled in high winds. Another man died at the plant in March 2009 when he was inspecting boiler equipment and was pinned against the wall of the boiler. OSHA fined the company in the 2008 and 2009 incidents.

A KCP&L spokesman defended the construction process, telling the Kansas City Star that the utility was “reasonable and prudent” in building the plant.