On October 17, Senate Vice President Larry Seilhamer and Minority Leader Eduardo Bhatia introduced Senate Bill 1121, The Puerto Rico Energy Public Policy Act, which would bring widespread change to the state’s electric utility industry. The most notable provision of SB1121 is the elimination of monopoly status for the island’s electric utility, Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA). PREPA is a government run agency that is responsible for the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity for the vast majority of Puerto Rico’s population. The utility, which is currently $9 billion in debt, filed for bankruptcy in 2017 and is in the midst of a multi-year effort to rebuild the island’s electric grid which was severely damaged last year by Hurricanes Irma and Maria.

Late last month, the Missouri Public Service Commission (MPSC) and Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC) approved the $15 billion stock-for-stock merger of Missouri-based Westar Energy and Kansas-based Great Plains Energy, parent company of Kansas City Power and Light (KCP&L). As a condition of the merger, these two companies will operate under a new holding company that will be named Evergy, Inc. The approvals of the KCC and MPSC were the two final hurdles to the deal as FERC approved the merger earlier this year and the shareholders of each company voted in favor of the combination in November 2017.