Cover and table of contents

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

☒ ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES

EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019

or

☐ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES

EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from to

(a Missouri corporation)

1200 Main Street

Kansas City, Missouri 64105

(816) 556-2200

(formerly Westar Energy, Inc.)

(a Kansas corporation)

818 South Kansas Avenue

Topeka, Kansas 66612

(785) 575-6300

(formerly Kansas City Power & Light Company)

(a Missouri corporation)

1200 Main Street

Kansas City, Missouri 64105

(816) 556-2200

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: Evergy Kansas Central, Inc. Common Stock $0.01 par value and Evergy Metro, Inc. Common Stock without par value.

The aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates of Evergy, Inc. (based on the closing price of its common stock on the New York Stock Exchange on June 30, 2019) was approximately $14,138,041,261. All of the common equity of Evergy Kansas Central, Inc. and Evergy Metro, Inc. is held by Evergy, Inc.

On February 24, 2020, Evergy, Inc. had 226,659,013 shares of common stock outstanding.

On February 24, 2020, Evergy Kansas Central, Inc. and Evergy Metro, Inc. each had one share of common stock outstanding and held by Evergy, Inc.

Documents Incorporated by Reference

Portions of the 2020 annual meeting proxy statement of Evergy, Inc. to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission are incorporated by reference in Part III of this report.

This combined annual report on Form 10-K is provided by the following registrants: Evergy, Inc. (Evergy), Evergy Kansas Central, Inc. (Evergy Kansas Central) and Evergy Metro, Inc. (Evergy Metro) (collectively, the Evergy Companies). Information relating to any individual registrant is filed by such registrant solely on its own behalf. Each registrant makes no representation as to information relating exclusively to the other registrants.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENTS REGARDING CERTAIN FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

Statements made in this report 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, statements relating to our strategic plan, including, without limitation, earnings per share and dividend growth targets, operating and maintenance expense savings goals and future capital allocation plans; the outcome of regulatory and legal proceedings; and other matters relating to expected financial performance or affecting future operations. Forward-looking statements are often accompanied by forward-looking words such as "anticipates," "believes," "expects," "estimates," "forecasts," "should," "seeks," "intends," "proposed," "projects," "planned," "outlook," "remain confident," "goal," "will" or other words of similar meaning. Forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking information.

In connection with the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, the Evergy Companies are providing a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ from the forward-looking information. These risks, uncertainties and other factors include, but are not limited to: economic and weather conditions and any impact on sales, prices and costs; changes in business strategy or operations; the impact of federal, state and local political, legislative, judicial and regulatory actions or developments, including deregulation, re-regulation and restructuring of the electric utility industry; decisions of regulators regarding, among other things, customer rates and the prudency of operational decisions such as capital expenditures and asset retirements; changes in applicable laws, regulations, rules, principles or practices, or the interpretations thereof, governing tax, accounting and environmental matters, including air and water quality and waste management and disposal; the impact of climate change, including increased frequency and severity of significant weather events and reduced demand for coal-based energy; prices and availability of electricity in wholesale markets; market perception of the energy industry and the Evergy Companies; changes in the energy trading markets in which the Evergy Companies participate, including retroactive repricing of transactions by regional transmission organizations (RTO) and independent system operators; financial market conditions and performance, including changes in interest rates and credit spreads and in availability and cost of capital and the effects on derivatives and hedges, nuclear decommissioning trust and pension plan assets and costs; impairments of long-lived assets or goodwill; credit ratings; inflation rates; the transition to a replacement for the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) benchmark interest rate; effectiveness of risk management policies and procedures and the ability of counterparties to satisfy their contractual commitments; impact of terrorist acts, including cyber terrorism; ability to carry out marketing and sales plans; cost, availability, quality and timely provision of equipment, supplies, labor and fuel; ability to achieve generation goals and the occurrence and duration of planned and unplanned generation outages; delays and cost increases of generation, transmission, distribution or other projects; the Evergy Companies' ability to manage their transmission and distribution development plans and transmission joint ventures; the inherent risks associated with the ownership and operation of a nuclear facility, including environmental, health, safety, regulatory and financial risks; workforce risks, including those related to increased costs of, or changes in, retirement, health care and other benefits; disruption, costs and uncertainties caused by or related to the actions of individuals or entities, such as activist shareholders or special interest groups, that seek to influence our strategic plan, financial results or operations; the possibility that the expected value creation from the merger of Great Plains Energy Incorporated (Great Plains Energy) and Evergy Kansas Central that resulted in the creation of Evergy will not be realized, or will not be realized within the expected time period; difficulties related to the integration, including the diversion of management time; difficulties in maintaining relationships with customers, employees, regulators or suppliers; disruption related to the rebranding of the Evergy Companies, including the impact of the rebranding on receipt of customer payments; and other risks and uncertainties.

This list of factors is not all-inclusive because it is not possible to predict all factors. Part I, Item 1A, Risk Factors included in this report should be carefully read for further understanding of potential risks for the Evergy Companies. Other sections of this report and other periodic reports filed by the Evergy Companies with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) should also be read for more information regarding risk factors. Each forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of the particular statement. The Evergy Companies undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

Available Information

The SEC maintains an internet site that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC at sec.gov. Additionally, information about the Evergy Companies, including their combined annual reports on Form 10-K, combined quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports filed with the SEC, is also available through the Evergy Companies' website, www.evergy.com. Such reports are accessible at no charge and are made available as soon as reasonably practical after such material is filed with or furnished to the SEC.

Investors should note that the Evergy Companies announce material financial information in SEC filings, press releases and public conference calls. In accordance with SEC guidelines, the Evergy Companies also use the Investor Relations tab on their website, www.evergy.com, to communicate with investors. It is possible that the financial and other information posted there could be deemed to be material information. The information on Evergy's website is not part of this document.

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

The following is a glossary of frequently used abbreviations or acronyms that are found throughout this report.

PART I