Louisville Gas and Electric and Kentucky Utilities are asking for approval to build a new 700 million dollar natural gas-fired generating plant in western Kentucky, and a smaller solar-powered station at one of their existing sites.
Spokeswoman Chris Whelan said the new gas-fired facility in Muhlenberg County will be similar to the station being built at Cane Run in Jefferson County. The companies are phasing out three of their coal-fired plants.
“When this is all said and done, the capacity will be 59 percent coal-fired, 40 percent gas-fired and one percent renewable,” she said.
Whelan said the planned 10 megawatt solar facility will be the largest of its kind in Kentucky. Assuming the projects receive regulatory approval, the solar facility will go online in 2016 with the gas-fired plant up and running in 2018.
