Power Plants in Kentucky
All 64 operable plants · EIA inventory, August 2026.
Capacity by fuel
| Fuel | Capacity | Share | Plants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coal | 10,991 MW | 49.0% | 8 |
| Natural gas | 8,840 MW | 39.4% | 14 |
| Solar | 1,363 MW | 6.1% | 20 |
| Hydro | 1,100 MW | 4.9% | 11 |
| Other | 122 MW | 0.5% | 11 |
Nameplate capacity — what the fleet could produce running flat out — not what it actually generated. A plant is filed under the fuel carrying most of its capacity. See what Kentucky actually generated →
Largest plants in Kentucky
| # | Plant | Fuel | Capacity | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Trimble CountyTrimble County | Coal | 2,594 MW | 1990 |
| 2 | GhentCarroll County | Coal | 2,226 MW | 1974 |
| 3 | ParadiseMuhlenberg County | Natural gas | 1,854 MW | 2017 |
| 4 | H L SpurlockMason County | Coal | 1,609 MW | 1977 |
| 5 | ShawneeMcCracken County | Coal | 1,575 MW | 1953 |
| 6 | E W BrownMercer County | Natural gas | 1,458 MW | 1971 |
| 7 | Mill Creek (KY)Jefferson County | Coal | 1,362 MW | 1974 |
| 8 | Riverside Generating LLCLawrence County | Natural gas | 1,150 MW | 2001 |
| 9 | J K SmithClark County | Natural gas | 938 MW | 1999 |
| 10 | Cane RunJefferson County | Natural gas | 807 MW | 2015 |
Kentucky's generating fleet in context
Kentucky's power fleet holds 22.4 gigawatts of nameplate capacity across 64 plants, ranking 23rd among the 50 states and DC. Coal and natural gas together dominate the fleet: coal provides 49% of capacity at 10,991 megawatts across 8 plants, while natural gas contributes 39.4% at 8,840 megawatts across 14 plants. Solar and hydro together make up the remainder, with solar at 6.1% (1,363 megawatts, 20 plants) and hydro at 4.9% (1,100 megawatts, 11 plants), leaving other fuels at 0.5% (122 megawatts, 11 plants).
The five largest plants show Kentucky's reliance on coal and emerging natural gas capacity. Trimble County, a coal plant with 2,594 megawatts, leads the fleet, followed by Ghent at 2,226 megawatts (also coal). The largest natural gas plant is Paradise at 1,854 megawatts. H L Spurlock and Shawnee round out the top five, both coal-fired at 1,609 and 1,575 megawatts respectively.
Kentucky's generating fleet spans a century of development. Dix Dam, the oldest plant still listed, first came online in November 1925. The newest addition is Sebree Solar II, which came online in August 2026, extending the fleet's reach into renewable energy while maintaining its traditional coal and gas backbone.
Written from the EIA figures on this page, covering data through August 2026.
Every plant in Kentucky, by fuel
Coal8 plants · 10,991 MW
All US coal plants →| Plant | County | Capacity | Units | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trimble County | Trimble | 2,594 MW | 8 | 1990 |
| Ghent | Carroll | 2,226 MW | 4 | 1974 |
| H L Spurlock | Mason | 1,609 MW | 4 | 1977 |
| Shawnee | McCracken | 1,575 MW | 9 | 1953 |
| Mill Creek (KY) | Jefferson | 1,362 MW | 3 | 1974 |
| East Bend | Boone | 772 MW | 1 | 1981 |
| D B Wilson | Ohio | 509 MW | 1 | 1984 |
| Cooper | Pulaski | 344 MW | 2 | 1965 |
Natural gas14 plants · 8,840 MW
All US natural gas plants →| Plant | County | Capacity | Units | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paradise | Muhlenberg | 1,854 MW | 7 | 2017 |
| E W Brown | Mercer | 1,458 MW | 9 | 1971 |
| Riverside Generating LLC | Lawrence | 1,150 MW | 5 | 2001 |
| J K Smith | Clark | 938 MW | 9 | 1999 |
| Cane Run | Jefferson | 807 MW | 3 | 2015 |
| Marshall Energy Facility | Marshall | 688 MW | 8 | 2002 |
| R D Green | Webster | 586 MW | 2 | 1979 |
| Bluegrass Generating Station | Oldham | 581 MW | 3 | 2002 |
| Big Sandy | Lawrence | 281 MW | 1 | 1963 |
| Paddys Run | Jefferson | 211 MW | 2 | 1968 |
| PPS Power Plant No 1 | McCracken | 120 MW | 2 | 2010 |
| Robert A Reid | Webster | 99 MW | 1 | 1976 |
| Haefling | Fayette | 41 MW | 2 | 1970 |
| Calvert City | Marshall | 27 MW | 1 | 2000 |
Solar20 plants · 1,363 MW
All US solar plants →| Plant | County | Capacity | Units | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sebree Solar I | Henderson | 250 MW | 1 | 2025 |
| Green River Solar | Meade | 200 MW | 1 | 2025 |
| SR Russellville | Logan | 173 MW | 1 | 2024 |
| Unbridled Solar | Henderson | 160 MW | 1 | 2025 |
| Sebree Solar II | Henderson | 150 MW | 1 | 2026 |
| Martin County Solar Project, LLC | Martin | 111 MW | 1 | 2024 |
| Bluebird Solar LLC | Harrison | 100 MW | 1 | 2025 |
| Ashwood Solar I | Lyon | 86 MW | 1 | 2026 |
| Glover Creek Solar, LLC | Metcalfe | 55 MW | 1 | 2024 |
| SR Turkey Creek, LLC | Garrard | 50 MW | 1 | 2022 |
| Cooperative Solar One | Clark | 8.5 MW | 1 | 2017 |
| SR Warren, LLC | Simpson | 3.5 MW | 1 | 2024 |
| Crittenden Solar Facility | Grant | 2.7 MW | 1 | 2017 |
| SR Franklin, LLC | Simpson | 2.5 MW | 1 | 2023 |
| LGE-KU Solar Share Facility Simpsonville | Shelby | 2.1 MW | 1 | 2019 |
| Aero Solar Facility | Boone | 2.0 MW | 1 | 2023 |
| Walton 1 Solar Facility | Kenton | 2.0 MW | 1 | 2017 |
| Walton 2 Solar Facility | Kenton | 2.0 MW | 1 | 2017 |
| RA Jones Roof Mounted Solar System | Kenton | 1.3 MW | 1 | 2024 |
| L'Oreal Solar - Florence | Boone | 1.1 MW | 1 | 2017 |
Hydro11 plants · 1,100 MW
All US hydro plants →| Plant | County | Capacity | Units | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wolf Creek | Russell | 270 MW | 6 | 1951 |
| Kentucky Dam | Marshall | 219 MW | 5 | 1944 |
| Barkley | Lyon | 130 MW | 4 | 1966 |
| Ohio Falls | Jefferson | 110 MW | 8 | 1928 |
| Meldahl Hydroelectric Project | Bracken | 105 MW | 3 | 2016 |
| Cannelton Hydroelectric Plant | Hancock | 88 MW | 3 | 2016 |
| Smithland Hydroelectric Plant | Livingston | 76 MW | 3 | 2017 |
| Laurel Dam | Laurel | 70 MW | 1 | 1977 |
| Dix Dam | Mercer | 28 MW | 3 | 1925 |
| Matilda Hamilton Fee Hydroelectric Stati | Estill | 2.5 MW | 5 | 2021 |
| Mother Ann Lee | Mercer | 2.1 MW | 3 | 2007 |
Other11 plants · 122 MW
All US other plants →| Plant | County | Capacity | Units | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kentucky Mills | Hancock | 88 MW | 1 | 2001 |
| Paris (KY) | Bourbon | 11 MW | 6 | 1934 |
| Cox Waste to Energy | Taylor | 5.0 MW | 2 | 1995 |
| Bavarian LFGTE | Boone | 4.8 MW | 5 | 2003 |
| Pendleton County LFGTE | Pendleton | 3.2 MW | 4 | 2007 |
| Green Valley LFGTE | Greenup | 2.4 MW | 3 | 2003 |
| Hardin County LFGTE | Hardin | 2.4 MW | 3 | 2006 |
| Green City Recovery, LLC | Scott | 2.0 MW | 2 | 2016 |
| Blue Ridge Generating | Estill | 1.6 MW | 1 | 2013 |
| Morehead Generating Facility | Rowan | 1.4 MW | 1 | 2019 |
| Glasgow LFGTE | Barren | 1.0 MW | 1 | 2015 |
Sorted by nameplate capacity within each fuel. “Online” is the year the plant’s earliest surviving unit entered service.