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LG&E and KU issues request for renewable projects over 75 MW

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LG&E and KU issues request for renewable projects over 75 MW
LG&E and KU’s research wind turbine rises to 165 feet. (Photo courtesy of LG&E and KU)

Louisville Gas and Electric Company and Kentucky Utilities Company (LG&E and KU), a subsidiary of PPL Corporation, announced the company is issuing a request for proposals (RFP) for new projects from solar, wind and hydroelectric providers to begin in 2026.

Proposals being considered must provide at least 75 MW of capacity and can include bids for purchasing power, purchasing new or existing renewable power generating facilities, and build-transfer transactions.

“We have an all-of-the-above approach that’s balanced and flexible for our power generation fleet, and achieved last year power reliability for our customers that was among the best in the nation,” said John Crockett, president of LG&E and KU. “We, with our parent company PPL, are pursuing a comprehensive clean energy strategy to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, while preserving reliability and affordability for our 1.3 million customers. We are continually evaluating a number of energy resources and exploring innovative solutions that will continue to best serve Kentucky and our customers’ needs and interests.”

The projects may also be considered an energy supply source for LG&E and KU’s Green Tariff program when the company partners with businesses and industrial customers to create custom renewable energy solutions, combining the Green Energy and Business Solar programs and Renewable Power Agreements for customers interested in purchasing renewable power.

These energy supplies would be in addition to LG&E and KU’s generation investment plans approved last fall by the Kentucky Public Service Commission. LG&E and KU received regulatory approval to build a 640 MW natural gas combined-cycle generating unit at Mill Creek Generating Station and add more than 1,000 MW of solar energy and battery storage while retiring two aging coal-fired units and several gas-peaking units.

In April, the company also launched Kentucky’s first utility wind turbine at E.W. Brown Generating Station’s Renewable Integration Research Facility. The research project is designed to collect data and help determine the potential for wind to contribute to renewable energy production in Kentucky.

Parties interested in participating in the RFP can submit proposals by June 21, and LG&E and KU expect to have evaluations completed by Oct. 31.

LG&E serves 333,000 natural gas and 429,000 electric customers in Louisville and 16 surrounding counties. KU serves 566,000 electric customers in 77 Kentucky counties and five Virginia counties. The companies own and operate two hydroelectric plants, Ohio Falls and Dix Dam, with total capacity of more than 100 MW.

This article was originally published on Renewable Energy World.