Power Plants in Kentucky

Kentucky's generating fleet holds 22.3 GW of nameplate capacity across 63 plants as of May 2026, ranking 23rd among the 51 largest state fleets in the country. This capacity represents what the equipment could produce running flat out, not the electricity it actually generates — a megawatt of solar and a megawatt of coal appear the same here and produce very different amounts over a year.

Coal carries the fleet, providing 55.9% of capacity across 9 plants. Natural gas accounts for 33.2% of capacity in 13 plants, while solar makes up 5.4% across 19 installations. Hydro contributes 4.9% from 11 plants, and other fuels provide 0.5% across 11 plants. The five largest plants are Trimble County at 2,594 MW and Ghent at 2,226 MW, both coal-fired, followed by the natural gas Paradise plant at 1,854 MW, and the coal plants H L Spurlock at 1,609 MW and Shawnee at 1,575 MW.

The oldest plant still listed began service in January 1928, while the newest came online in May 2026, spanning nearly a century of fleet development. Plant counts include everything down to sub-megawatt backup generators, so the number of plants does not indicate fleet size — capacity is the meaningful measure.