Westar Energy to Receive Funding to Improve Diesel Emissions Equipment on Truck Fleet

TOPEKA, KS, Jul 30 (MARKET WIRE) --
Westar Energy (NYSE: WR) today announced that the Kansas Department of
Health and Environment (KDHE) will provide funding to retrofit several of
the company's line trucks with improved diesel emissions equipment. KDHE
recently announced it received a $4 million grant under the American
Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009 National Clean Diesel Funding
Assistance Program. Of that, Westar Energy will receive about $200,000
for this project.

KDHE will work with Westar Energy and the Kansas Department of
Transportation to retrofit about 70 line trucks with diesel oxidation
catalysts (DOC), which reduce diesel emissions.

"It is important to customers that we are good environmental stewards, and
that is why we are installing more than $1 billion of emission-reduction
equipment on our power plants. The grant to install emission-removal
equipment on our trucks is a natural extension of Westar Energy's
environmental stewardship mission," said Kelly Harrison, vice president,
transmission operations and environmental services.

"In addition to the creation of much-needed jobs in our state and the
improvement in air quality, these clean diesel projects will have a
positive impact on the health of Kansans," said Roderick L. Bremby,
Secretary of KDHE.

Installation of the diesel emission reduction equipment will begin on
Westar Energy's trucks in the next two months and will be completed in
early 2010.

Westar Energy, Inc. (NYSE: WR) is the largest electric utility in Kansas,
providing electric service to about 681,000 customers in the state. Westar
Energy has about 6,800 megawatts of electric generation capacity and
operates and coordinates more than 35,000 miles of electric distribution
and transmission lines.

For more information about Westar Energy, visit us on the Internet at
http://www.WestarEnergy.com.

Copyright 2009, Market Wire, All rights reserved.

-0-