By Parry Barrows, Building Kentucky
To meet growing energy demands and comply with strengthened environmental rules, East Kentucky Power Cooperative (EKPC) today announced plans for a range of new power plant projects and expanded energy efficiency programs geared toward maintaining safe, reliable, cost-competitive power for members.
“EKPC is blazing a bold path to ensure reliable, cost-competitive and sustainable electricity for rural Kentucky in coming decades,” said Anthony “Tony” Campbell, President & CEO of EKPC, which provides electricity to 16 electric cooperatives that serve 1.1 million Kentucky residents in 89 counties. “EKPC is building for the future, protecting reliable plants, hedging against high energy costs and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”
EKPC is presenting the plans in applications submitted to the Kentucky Public Service Commission.
Plans include:
New natural gas unit at Cooper Station
EKPC plans to add a new 745-megawatt natural gas combined cycle unit at Cooper Station in Pulaski County, effectively tripling the plant’s capacity to provide power and meet future energy demands. EKPC forecasts growing power demand will exceed the capacity of its current fleet by 2030. During the past two winters, EKPC has set new all-time peak demand records during extreme cold events when large amounts of electricity are used for heating. The new unit will bolster the regional transmission grid in southern Kentucky.
Converting coal units at Spurlock Station, Cooper Station to use both coal, natural gas
EKPC plans to convert existing coal-fueled units at Cooper Station and at Spurlock Station in Mason County to enable them to use both coal and natural gas as fuel. With these converted facilities, EKPC will ensure continued compliance with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s greenhouse gas rule and protect its most dependable electric-generating resources. If EKPC takes no compliance action, the units must close by 2032. The co-firing projects will protect nearly half of EKPC’s existing generating capacity while reducing carbon dioxide emissions. EKPC plans to convert all four units at Spurlock Station and Cooper Unit #2.
New natural gas plant in Casey County
EKPC plans to construct an innovative new 214-megawatt natural gas power plant at a 100-acre site near Liberty, Ky, in Casey County. Featuring 12 natural gas-fueled engine/generator sets, the plant will be capable of rapidly starting and ramping up and down. This flexibility means the facility can support energy demands during peak usage hours or when solar facilities experience a reduction in output. The plant is expected to be in operation by late 2028 and will create 23 new full-time jobs.
Expanded demand side management/energy efficiency (DSM/EE) programs
Following a detailed cost-effective program analysis, EKPC plans to more than double its investment in DSM/EE. Four new programs will be added, and three current programs will be enhanced to increase value for participants. Incentives for qualifying participants in the CARES low-income weatherization program will increase from $2,000 to $3,000. By 2030, the proposed changes, along with existing programs, are expected to cumulatively reduce energy use by 69,792 megawatt-hours and cut winter peak by 38 megawatts.
In addition, EKPC recently announced plans to add 757 megawatts of new renewable resources, including solar facilities in Fayette and Marion counties.
“Over the next few years, EKPC will take steps to meet Kentucky’s energy needs for decades to come,” said Don Mosier, Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President. “We are taking a comprehensive approach that safeguards reliability and cost-competitiveness, while boosting sustainability. Greater fleet diversity means access to low-cost energy when it is available, along with reliable, flexible power plants to keep electricity flowing when it is needed the most.”
Even with the additions to its power plant fleet, EKPC remains on track to meet its target of reducing carbon dioxide emissions 35 percent by 2035.
