Construction begins this month for East Kentucky Power Cooperative’s Liberty Station, a $500 million, 214-megawatt natural gas plant that’s expected to power 95,000 homes and boost the local economy.
The Winchester-based generation and transmission co-op plans to bring the 12-unit power plant online by the end of 2028 in rural southern Kentucky’s Casey County.
The plant will create at least 23 permanent highly skilled jobs plus employ hundreds more in construction and trades during the project’s build phase, EKPC President and CEO Don Mosier said.
“It’s going to be a tremendous opportunity for us to begin a brand-new partnership with the local community, Casey County and the town of Liberty, that’s going to last for decades,” Mosier said. “It’s a great opportunity for them as well as for us and we’re looking forward to that partnership.”
Barry Lee, superintendent of Casey County Schools and chair of the local industrial development board, said the plant “represents a strong investment in the future of our community.”
“This project reflects confidence in our region, support for future economic development and new opportunities for the people who call Casey County home.”
Lee was among the dozens of local officials who attended the May 20 groundbreaking at the 100-acre project site.
“This is a gift to Casey County,” said Mark Wolford, CEO of Casey County Bank. “This is the best thing that has happened to us in a very long time. Hopefully this will generate some more opportunities for us.”
Liberty Station will run on natural gas supplied by an interstate pipeline and use ultra-low sulfur diesel as a backup fuel. Two onsite backup fuel tanks will enable the plant to run at full capacity for up to 72 hours if necessary.
The G&T will also build other infrastructure at the site, including a 161-kilovolt switching station to connect the plant to an existing EKPC transmission line, two power plant stacks designed with noise mitigation features, a control and administration building and a warehouse.
EKPC’s leadership agreed to invest in the new power plant to meet growing demand and bolster reliability for the G&T’s 16 distribution co-ops and 1.2 million members at the end of the line.
“Our mission is to safely generate and transmit 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.”
Mosier echoed how the new plant will improve service to all EKPC’s members.
“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,” he said.
Cathy Cash is a staff writer for NRECA.