EXHIBIT 18
May 9, 2000
Board of Directors
Kansas City Power & Light Company
1201 Walnut
Kansas City, Missouri 64106
Dear Directors:
We are providing this letter to you for inclusion as an
exhibit to your Form 10-Q filing pursuant to Item 601 of
Regulation S-K.
We have been provided a copy of the Company's Quarterly
Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended March 31, 2000.
Note 1. therein describes changes in accounting principles in
pension accounting from recognizing limited pension gains and
losses and determining expected return on plan assets on a
basis other than fair market value to 1) recognizing gains
and losses by amortizing over a five year period, the rolling
five year average of unamortized gains and losses and 2)
determining the expected return by multiplying the long-term
rate of return times the fair value of plan assets. It
should be understood that the preferability of one acceptable
method of accounting over another for pensions has not been
addressed in any authoritative accounting literature, and in
expressing our concurrence below we have relied on
management's determination that these changes in accounting
principles are preferable. Based on our reading of
management's stated reasons and justification for these
changes in accounting principles in the Form 10-Q, and our
discussions with management as to their judgment about the
relevant business planning factors relating to the changes,
we concur with management that such changes represent, in the
Company's circumstances, the adoption of preferable
accounting principles in conformity with Accounting
Principles Board Opinion No. 20.
We have not audited any financial statements of the Company
as of any date or for any period subsequent to December 31,
1999. Accordingly, our comments are subject to change upon
completion of an audit of the financial statements covering
the period of the accounting changes.
Very truly yours,
/s/PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP