Liberty Station-Casey County

East Kentucky Breaks Ground

East Kentucky Power Cooperative (EKPC) recently broke ground for Liberty Station in Casey County, Ky., the cooperative’s first major new power plant in decades. EKPC’s leaders were joined by local dignitaries to celebrate the impact of the $500 million infrastructure investment to systemwide capacity and reliability, economic growth, and local employment. 

Liberty Station is designed to provide additional power during periods of high electricity demand and when other regional energy sources are unavailable. The new natural gas power plant will strengthen electric grid reliability and support growing energy demand in southern Kentucky.

 “This marks an important step for Kentucky’s energy future,” said Don Mosier, president and CEO of EKPC. “Liberty Station will help strengthen our ability to provide reliable power for the communities we serve while supporting the region’s continued growth and energy needs.” 

Located north of the town of Liberty, Ky., the new power plant will generate 214 megawatts of electricity, enough to serve the energy needs of about 95,000 typical Kentucky homes. The plant is expected to begin operating in late 2028. 

“Our mission is to safely generate and deliver competitive, reliable power to our owner-members, who serve over a million Kentuckians throughout the state,” said Alan Ahrman, EKPC board chair. “As energy needs increase both locally and nationally, investments like Liberty Station will help maintain reliable service during periods of high demand and severe weather.”

The facility will primarily use natural gas supplied from a nearby interstate pipeline, with ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel available as a backup fuel source. Two onsite backup fuel tanks will allow the plant to operate at full capacity for up to 72 hours, if needed. Additional infrastructure at the Liberty Station site will include: · A new 161-kilovolt switching station connected to EKPC’s existing electric transmission line located less than one mile away; · Two power plant stacks designed with noise mitigation features and positioned at least 1,000 feet from neighboring property lines; · A warehouse, and control and administration building. The Casey County community will reap major benefits from the innovative plant. EKPC is expecting to hire 23 full-time workers to operate the plant. 

“The Liberty Station project represents a significant investment in the future of our region. What EKPC is bringing to Casey County represents a strong investment in the future of our community,” said Barry Lee, Superintendent of Casey County Schools and Chair of the local industrial development board. 

“This project reflects confidence in our region, support for future economic development, and new opportunities for the people who call Casey County home,” he said. 

Liberty Station is part of EKPC’s long-range plan for developing a portfolio of electric-generating resources that are reliable, competitively priced and highly adaptable to changing conditions of the electric grid, fuel markets, technological innovations and the regulatory environment. Projects planned for coming years include: · A new 745-megawatt generating unit at Cooper Station in Somerset. The new natural gas unit will join the two existing coal-fueled units, effectively tripling the capacity of the power plant. · Two new solar facilities in Marion and Fayette counties, adding 136 MW of new renewable capacity. Construction of the solar facilities is under way and expected to be completed by mid-2027. They will provide sustainable, cost-competitive, carbon-free generating capacity. · Converting coal units to use both coal and natural gas as fuel. EKPC is co-firing most of its current baseload power plant fleet at plants in Maysville and Somerset. This will enable generating units to use both coal and natural gas as fuel, ensuring continued compliance with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s greenhouse gas rule and protecting EKPC’s most dependable electric-generating resources. 

“Demand for electricity is growing, and EKPC is building for the future,” Mosier said. “EKPC is diversifying our power plant fleet, hedging against high energy costs, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and protecting our current reliable assets. 

To learn more about EKPC’s planned new additions to its power plant fleet, visit https://www.ekpc.coop/new-generation 

Kentucky’s Touchstone Energy Cooperatives include 17 not-for-profit, member owned electric cooperatives that serve more than 1.2 million Kentucky residents across 89 Kentucky counties.