Big Sandy
Natural gas power plant · Lawrence County, Kentucky
Nameplate capacity
281 MW
Rank in Kentucky
#17
of 63 plants
In service since
1963
January 1963
Details
- Primary fuel
- Natural gas
- Technology
- Natural Gas Steam Turbine
- Operator
- Kentucky Power Co
- County
- Lawrence County
- Generating units
- 1
- Share of state capacity
- 1.26%
- Rank among natural gas plants in Kentucky
- #8 of 13
- EIA plant code
- 1353
Generating units
| Unit | Technology | Nameplate | Summer | Online | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Natural Gas Steam Turbine | 281 MW | 260 MW | 1963 | Operating |
Nameplate is the maximum rated output; summer capacity is what the unit can reliably deliver on a hot day, which is typically lower.
Similarly sized plants in Kentucky
| D B Wilson | Coal | 509 MW |
| Cooper | Coal | 344 MW |
| Wolf Creek | Hydro | 270 MW |
| Sebree Solar, LLC | Solar | 250 MW |
About this data
From EIA’s inventory of operable generators, May 2026 release. Capacity is nameplate — the maximum rated output of the equipment, not what the plant actually generates over a year, which depends on how often it runs. A 281 MW solar plant and a 281 MW nuclear plant have the same entry here and produce very different amounts of electricity.
“In service since” is the earliest in-service date among the units still listed, so a site rebuilt around newer equipment can read as younger than the site itself. All Kentucky power plants · What Kentucky actually generates