In 1909, the citizens of Kansas City, Kansas, authorized the purchase of a privately-owned water system to provide the community with better water service. The electric utility was placed in operation in late 1912.
Today, BPU operates as a not-for-profit municipal utility, and is an administrative arm of the Unified Government of Wyandotte County, Kansas City, Kansas. It is self-governed, with an elected six-member board of directors.
The purpose of the utility, then and to this day, is to provide the highest-quality electric and water services at the lowest possible cost. The publicly owned utility currently serves 67,000 electric and 53,000 water customers in Wyandotte and Johnson Counties of Kansas, over approximately a 127.5 square mile area.
In addition to its own power generation capabilities, BPU also utilizes hydroelectric, wind and landfill-gas technologies in its power generation mix. Moreover, BPU has the two largest horizontal collector wells in the nation, ensuring stable water service by accessing basins deep under the Missouri River.
BPU is recognized as one of the top public utilities in the nation. It is one of only 83 of the more than 2,000 municipal utilities to receive the Reliable Public Power Provider (RP3) designation by the American Public Power Association, and one of only seven public utilities in the country to receive the “Gold” award for its water system from the American Water Works Association.
We are proud to offer dependable and reliable electric service to every household and business in our community at some of the lowest rates in the nation. We’re committed to the neighborhoods that we serve and work hard to maintain your satisfaction through stable and reliable service.