Restoring Power is a Complex Process

During a power outage, have you ever wondered why you have power and your neighbor doesn't? Or why the convenience store's electricity is on and yours isn't? Restoring power after a major storm is a complex process that can affect each customer differently.

KCP&L moves electricity from power plants to your home through a complex grid of power lines and equipment. The lines don’t always follow the same path as city streets, so your neighbor’s power may be delivered over different lines than the ones that feed your home. That’s one reason that power doesn’t return to every house in the same neighborhood at the exact same time.

At KCP&L, our outage restoration plans are designed to get power restored to the highest number of people in the shortest amount of time.

Our top priority is public safety. We first address potentially life-threatening situations, like downed live wires. From there, we restore power to critical services, like hospitals, fire and police stations, and water treatment plants. Next, we repair substations and major feeder lines, which often serve thousands of customers. We then focus on smaller neighborhoods and groups of customers, and finally individual homes and businesses.

Service Connection Damage
Sometimes during a storm, the service connection to your house may be damaged. Learn which parts KCP&L must repair and which parts you're responsible for in order to reconnect service. When there is damage you need to repair, KCP&L typically communicates this to you in person or by leaving a door hanger at your home.

Reminder: If you have access to the internet during a power outage, you can go online to report an outage, flickering lights, downed power lines or other damage-related problems. If not, call 1-888-LIGHT-KC (544-4852). This response line is automated, because that’s the fastest way to get your information to our crews who are working to restore power.

View Diagram of Restoration Process. (See diagram description below.)

How electricity is delivered from the power plant to your home
Electricity is produced in a 1) generating plant. From there it goes through a 2) transmission substation where it is amped up to send long distances. The power travels over 3) high-voltage transmission lines to 4) local substations that decrease the amps for use in your home and business. The stepped-down electricity moves through 5) distribution lines to 6) secondary lines, or tap lines, that deliver it to your neighborhood and the 7) transformer on the pole by your house and your individual meter.
                                                      
The power restoration process
When our system is damaged by a storm, our top priority is public safety. We first address potentially life-threatening situations, like 8) downed live wires. From there we restore power to critical services, like 9) hospitals, fire and police stations, and water treatment plants. Next, we repair damaged 4) substations and 5) distribution lines, which often deliver power to thousands of customers. We then focus on 6) smaller neighborhoods and groups of customers, and finally 7) individual homes and businesses.

Reminder: If you have access to the internet during a power outage, go online to report an outage, flickering lights, downed power lines or other damage-related problem. If not, call 1-888-LIGHT-KC (544-4852). This response line is automated, because that’s the fastest way to get your information to our crews who are working to restore power.

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