Great Plains Energy Incorporated (NYSE: GXP) ("Great Plains Energy” or
the "Company”) announced today that it has completed its previously
announced public offering of equity units and its concurrent public
offering of common stock. The Company previously announced that the
underwriters of each offering fully exercised their option to purchase
additional equity units and common stock to cover overallotments.
Total net proceeds from the offerings are approximately $431.8 million
after expenses and underwriting discounts. The Company intends to use
the net proceeds from both of these offerings to repay all or a portion
of the short-term borrowings under its revolving credit facility and to
make contributions of capital to Kansas City Power & Light Company
("KCP&L”) and KCP&L Greater Missouri Operations Company ("GMO”) for
general corporate purposes, principally for repayment of all or a
portion of KCP&L’s outstanding commercial paper, and repayment of all or
a portion of the short-term borrowings under GMO’s revolving credit
facilities.
Goldman, Sachs & Co. and J.P. Morgan Securities Inc. acted as the joint
book-running managers for both offerings.
About Great Plains Energy
Headquartered in Kansas City, Mo., Great Plains Energy Incorporated
(NYSE: GXP) is the holding company of Kansas City Power & Light Company
("KCP&L”) and KCP&L Greater Missouri Operations ("GMO”), two of the
leading regulated providers of electricity in the Midwest. Kansas City
Power & Light Company and KCP&L Greater Missouri Operations use KCP&L as
a brand name.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Statements made in this release that are not based on historical facts
are forward-looking, may involve risks and uncertainties and are
intended to be as of the date when made. Forward-looking statements
include, but are not limited to, the outcome of regulatory proceedings,
cost estimates of the Comprehensive Energy Plan and other matters
affecting future operations. In connection with the safe harbor
provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, the
Company is providing a number of important factors that could cause
actual results to differ materially from the provided forward-looking
information. These important factors include: future economic conditions
in regional, national and international markets and their effects on
sales, prices and costs, including but not limited to possible further
deterioration in economic conditions and the timing and extent of any
economic recovery; prices and availability of electricity in regional
and national wholesale markets; market perception of the energy
industry, Great Plains Energy, KCP&L and GMO; changes in business
strategy, operations or development plans; effects of current or
proposed state and federal legislative and regulatory actions or
developments, including, but not limited to, deregulation, re-regulation
and restructuring of the electric utility industry; decisions of
regulators regarding rates KCP&L and GMO can charge for electricity;
adverse changes in applicable laws, regulations, rules, principles or
practices governing tax, accounting and environmental matters including,
but not limited to, air and water quality; financial market conditions
and performance including, but not limited to, changes in interest rates
and credit spreads and in availability and cost of capital and the
effects on nuclear decommissioning trust and pension plan assets and
costs; credit ratings; inflation rates; effectiveness of risk management
policies and procedures and the ability of counterparties to satisfy
their contractual commitments; impact of terrorist acts; increased
competition including, but not limited to, retail choice in the electric
utility industry and the entry of new competitors; ability to carry out
marketing and sales plans; weather conditions including, but not limited
to, weather-related damage and their effects on sales, prices and costs;
cost, availability, quality and deliverability of fuel; ability to
achieve generation planning goals and the occurrence and duration of
planned and unplanned generation outages; delays in the anticipated
in-service dates and cost increases of additional generating capacity
and environmental projects; nuclear operations; workforce risks,
including, but not limited to, retirement compensation and benefits
costs; the ability to successfully integrate KCP&L and GMO operations
and the timing and amount of resulting synergy savings; and other risks
and uncertainties.
This list of factors is not all-inclusive because it is not possible to
predict all factors. Other risk factors are detailed from time to time
in Great Plains Energy’s and KCP&L’s most recent quarterly report on
Form 10-Q or annual report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the
date on which such statement is made. Great Plains Energy and KCP&L
undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking
statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or
otherwise.