LG&E and KU issues Request for Proposals to purchase supply sources
Published 3:00 pm Tuesday, May 28, 2024
Louisville Gas and Electric Company and Kentucky Utilities Company announced the company is issuing a Request for Proposals (RFP) for new projects from solar, wind and hydroelectric providers to begin in 2026.
Parties interested in participating in the RFP can submit proposals by June 21, and LG&E and KU currently expect to have evaluations completed by October 31.
The company is exploring options that will further diversify LG&E and KU’s generation portfolio, which will better position the company to meet federal environmental regulations and meet customers’ long-term energy demand.
“We have an all-of-the-above approach that’s balanced and flexible for our power generation fleet, and last year achieved 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 as 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 those customers interested in purchasing renewable power.
Proposals being considered must provide at least 75 megawatts of energy and can include bids for purchasing power, purchasing new or existing renewable power generating facilities and build-transfer transactions.
These proposals represent energy supplies that 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-megawatt natural gas combined-cycle generating unit at Mill Creek Generating Station and add more than 1,000 megawatts of solar energy and battery storage, while economically retiring two aging coal-fired generating 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 will be important in determining the potential for wind to contribute to renewable energy production in Kentucky.