Topeka ? Westar Energy Inc. on Wednesday announced it will make an estimated $375 million worth of upgrades to reduce emissions at the Lawrence Energy Center.

The projects are expected to start in 2010 and be completed by 2013, the company said. At the peak of activity, the construction is expected to create 350 jobs, Westar said.

“Upgrades at the Lawrence Energy Center are just one more step in our effort to make all of our plants even cleaner while allowing us to continue to meet our customers’ energy needs,” said Doug Sterbenz, executive vice president and chief operating officer.

The cost of the projects are eligible to be recovered from ratepayers through an environmental improvements charge on monthly bills, Westar said.

The Lawrence Energy Center is a coal-fired facility that has a capacity of nearly 540 megawatts, according to Westar’s Web site. Westar is the largest electric utility in Kansas, providing power to approximately 680,000 customers.

On two generating units, the company will install two fabric filtration systems to remove particulate matter and it will rebuild sulfur dioxide scrubbers to remove more sulfur dioxide from the flue gas.

Westar said it also is improving burner systems on three units, which will improve efficiency and lower nitrogen oxide emissions.