Evergy Inc

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

SCHEDULE 14A

Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of

the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

(Amendment No. )

Check the appropriate box:

(Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than the Registrant)

One Kansas City Place

1200 Main Street

March 28, 2024

Dear Shareholder:

We are pleased to invite you to the 2024 Annual Meeting of Shareholders of Evergy, Inc. to be held at 10:00 a.m. Central Daylight Time, on Tuesday, May 7, 2024. The meeting will be held in a virtual format only and can be accessed via live audio webcast and using online shareholder tools atwww.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/EVRG2024.

At this meeting, you will be asked to:

The attached notice of annual meeting and proxy statement describe the business to be transacted at the meeting. Please review these materials and vote your shares.

Your vote is important. I encourage you to complete, sign, date and return your proxy card or use telephone or internet voting prior to the annual meeting so that your shares will be represented and voted at the meeting even if you cannot attend.

Sincerely,

David A. Campbell

President and Chief Executive Officer

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A Letter from Your Board of Directors

Dear Fellow Shareholders:

On behalf of the Evergy Board of Directors (the “Board”), we join David in inviting you to Evergy’s 2024 Annual Meeting of Shareholders (the “Annual Meeting”) to be held virtually. We continue to be active and engaged with senior leadership and are committed to effective governance to best represent your interests as shareholders of our company. We remain committed to executing on our strategic objectives of affordability, reliability, and sustainability.

Responsible Board Refreshment

Bringing in fresh ideas and new perspectives at a responsible pace remains a priority of our Board. In June 2023, we were excited to have Neal Sharma join our Board. Mr. Sharma brings a wealth of expertise in digital marketing, among other qualifications to our Board. We would also like to thank Mark Ruelle and Thomas Hyde ahead of their respective retirements at the Annual Meeting in May. Evergy wishes to express its appreciation for Mr. Ruelle’s more than 30 years of exceptional service and leadership at both Westar and Evergy and for Mr. Hyde’s more than 12 years of service to our Board. David has been nominated by the Board to assume the role of chairman of the board following the Annual Meeting. As always, our Board values a diversity of backgrounds and opinions and shared core competencies that are essential to delivering long-term shareholder and customer value. You can find more information about our nominating process and nominees in this proxy statement.

Regulatory Update

In 2023, our company completed its first Kansas rate cases since the merger that created Evergy in 2018. We reached a unanimous settlement agreement in September which delivered significant savings back to our customers. These rate cases delivered on the promises we made when Evergy was formed to maintain affordable rates for our customers and advance regional rate competitiveness. In February, we filed a rate case for Evergy Missouri West, Inc., which we expect to conclude by year-end. Achieving balanced regulatory outcomes is key to the success of our company, for both shareholders and customers. We are also working with regulators and stakeholders in both states to consider regulatory mechanisms that help to ensure Kansas and Missouri are competitive in attracting investment capital and positioned to capitalize on economic development opportunities.

Environmental, Social, and Governance Leadership

We updated our integrated resource plans (“IRP”) in June of 2023 which outlined our continued intention to add significant renewables and retire coal generation while supporting grid stability with new hydrogen-capable natural gas generation. We also closed the acquisition of the Persimmon Creek Wind Farm, a 199-megawatt wind farm that provides carbon-free energy for our Kansas customers. We plan to file updated IRPs with our Kansas and Missouri regulators this spring. We continue to target a 70% reduction of owned generation CO 2 emissions by 2030 (from 2005 levels) and net-zero CO 2e emissions, for scope 1 and scope 2, by 2045 through the responsible transition of Evergy’s generation fleet, including the continued growth of Evergy's renewable energy portfolio and the retirement of older and less efficient fossil fuel plants. Achieving these emissions reductions is expected to be dependent on enabling technologies and supportive policies and regulations, among other external factors.

In order to deliver on these strategic objectives, Evergy continues to focus on safety and operational excellence along with important investments in infrastructure and technology to enable us to meet the needs of our customers and communities and stand ready to support increasing demand and economic development in our region. As always, we look forward to our annual meeting and your participation and feedback.

Sincerely,

Evergy, Inc. Board of Directors

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