Mill Creek Station
| Part of the Global Oil and Gas Plant Tracker, a Global Energy Monitor project. |
| Related categories: |
| Part of the Global Coal Plant Tracker, a Global Energy Monitor project. |
| Related coal trackers: |
Mill Creek Station is an operating power station of at least 1361-megawatts (MW) in Louisville, Jefferson, Kentucky, United States with multiple units, some of which are not currently operating. It is also known as Mill Creek Generating Station.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Mill Creek Station | Louisville, Jefferson, Kentucky, United States | 38.052378, -85.909811 (exact)[1] |
Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):
- MC 5, MC 6, Unit 1, Unit 2, Unit 3, Unit 4: 38.052378, -85.909811
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | CHP | Start year | Retired year | Equipment | Emergency/Backup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MC 5 | Construction[2][3][4][5][1][6][1][7] | fossil gas: natural gas, fossil liquids: diesel[8][9] | 740[10][9][4][8][11][1][7][1] | combined cycle[8][4] | no[1] | 2027 (planned)[4][12][1][6][1][7] | – | GE Vernova: 7HA.03, GE Vernova: STF-D650[4] | no |
| MC 6 | Pre-construction[13][14][7][15] | fossil gas: natural gas, fossil liquids: diesel[14][15] | 680[14][7][15] | combined cycle[14] | no[14] | 2031 (planned)[14][7][15] | – | GE Vernova[7] | no |
| Unit 1 | Retired[16] | coal: bituminous[17] | 355.5 | subcritical | – | 1972 | 2024[16] | – | no |
| Unit 2 | Operating | coal: bituminous[17] | 355.5 | subcritical | – | 1974 | 2027 (planned)[18] | – | no |
| Unit 3 | Operating | coal: bituminous[17] | 462.6 | subcritical | – | 1978 | 2035 (planned)[19] | – | no |
| Unit 4 | Operating | coal: bituminous[17] | 543.6 | subcritical | – | 1982 | 2035 (planned)[19] | – | no |
CHP is an abbreviation for Combined Heat and Power. It is a technology that produces electricity and thermal energy at high efficiencies. Coal units track this information in the Captive Use section when known.
Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
| Unit name | Owner | Parent |
|---|---|---|
| MC 5 | Louisville Gas & Electric Co [31%]; Kentucky Utilities Co [69%][18][14][1][18] | PPL Corp [100.0%] |
| MC 6 | Louisville Gas & Electric Co [100%][14] | PPL Corp [100.0%] |
| Unit 1 | Louisville Gas & Electric Co [100%][1] | PPL Corp [100.0%] |
| Unit 2 | Louisville Gas & Electric Co [100%][1] | PPL Corp [100.0%] |
| Unit 3 | Louisville Gas & Electric Co [100%][1] | PPL Corp [100.0%] |
| Unit 4 | Louisville Gas & Electric Co [100%][1] | PPL Corp [100.0%] |
Project-level coal details
- Coal source(s): domestic
Impacts
Potential emissions and details on the project's status and permit applications can be viewed on Oil and Gas Watch page here.
The Oil and Gas Watch database, created by Environmental Integrity Project (EIP), is a free, public-facing tool designed to track the rapid expansion of fossil fuel and petrochemical infrastructure in the United States. Oil and Gas Watch maps new and expanding oil, gas, and petrochemical infrastructure projects across the country and monitors each project’s construction status so the public can stay informed about major oil and gas developments being proposed in their communities. We track key environmental approvals companies must obtain before starting construction or operations and provide access to thousands of government records and permits unearthed by our analysts.
Gas-Fired Generation
Unit 5
In December 2022, Louisville Gas and Electric and Kentucky Utilities companies announced that they plan to retire nearly a third of the capacity of their aging generation fleet by 2028 and build two gas plants, including one combined-cycle unit (Unit 5) at the Mill Creek station. As of June 2023, the company was seeking approval from the Kentucky Public Service Commission, which was expected to be received by October, 2023.[20] In November 2023, PSC approved the LG&E/KU’s request to build the gas-fired Unit 5 at the Mill Creek station.[21] In April 2024, GE Vernova announced that it had received an order for two hydrogen-ready 7HA.03 gas turbines for the project.[22][23] As of November 2025, the unit is under construction.[24][25]
Unit 6
In February 2025, LG&E/KU filed a new application with the Kentucky Public Service Commission for construction of a 645-MW combined cycle unit (Unit 6) at the Mill Creek Station to be in service by 2031. LG&E will own 100% of the unit.[26] The new capacity will be used to serve the growing data center market in Kentucky.[27]
In October 2025, the Kentucky Public Service Commission approved LG&E/KU’s request for a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) for Mill Creek Unit 6. Although some minor demolition is required to prepare the site, LG&E/KU stated that this work can be completed alongside the ongoing construction for Mill Creek Unit 5. The utility anticipates Mill Creek 6 will enter service in 2031. LG&E/KU estimated that construction will take roughly 48 months from the execution of the EPC contract to commercial operation, excluding the time needed for permitting and regulatory approvals. The utility has already begun developing the EPC bid package, preparing air permit applications, and plans to submit a generation interconnection request to TransServ International in November 2025. In August 2025, LG&E/KU entered into a Reservation Agreement (RA) with GE Vernova for the Mill Creek 6 unit.[24]
Unit Retirements
In their 2021 Integrated Resource Plan, Louisville Gas and Electric and Kentucky Utilities (LGE/KU) indicated that Mill Creek Unit 1 was expected to retire in 2024 and Unit 2 was expected to retire in 2028.[28]
In July 2023, LGE/KU requested approval from the utilities regulator to close four coal units, including E.W. Brown Generating Station Unit 3, Ghent Generating Station Unit 2, and Mill Creek Units 1 and 2. LGE/KU proposed retiring these units between 2024 and 2027, replacing them and other aging generating systems with fossil gas combined cycle units, solar and battery storage facilities, as well as solar power purchase agreements.[29]
In October 2024, LG&E/KU’s 2024 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) indicated that Mill Creek Units 3 and 4 were slated for retirement in 2035. Mill Creek’s coal-fired Unit 2 was expected to retire in 2027 after gas-fired Unit 5 is commissioned.[30][31]
In December 2024, Mill Creek’s coal-fired Unit 1 was retired.[32]
2022 winter blackouts
In January 2023, the CEO of Louisville Gas and Electric and Kentucky Utilities (LGE/KU) blamed blackouts on December 23, 2022, on a frozen gas pipeline. The blackouts affected 35,000 customers and the utility shed 317 MW in load to stabilize the system. The CEO’s comments were cited by Republican legislators the following month before they adopted Senate Bill 4, which made it harder for utilities to retire coal and other fossil fuel power plants. In August 2023, however, the Kentucky Public Service Commission held a hearing in which LGE/KU revealed that 800 MW of coal capacity was offline during the outage. At Mill Creek station, 121 MW were offline due to frozen components in a coal delivery system. Also offline were 639 MW at Trimble County power station and 62 MW at E.W. Brown Generating Station.[33]
Emissions Data
- 2024 Gross Load (MWh): 7,681,766[34]
- 2024 SO2 Mass (short tons): 4,876[34]
- 2024 CO2 Mass (short tons): 7,398,888[34]
- 2024 NOx Mass (short tons): 5,462[34]
- 2023 Mercury emissions (Hg, lb): 24.42[35][36]
Death and disease attributable to fine particle pollution from the Mill Creek Station
In 2010, Abt Associates issued a study commissioned by the Clean Air Task Force, a nonprofit research and advocacy organization, quantifying the deaths and other health effects attributable to fine particle pollution from coal-fired power plants.[37] The study found that over 13,000 deaths and tens of thousands of cases of chronic bronchitis, acute bronchitis, asthma-related episodes and asthma-related emergency room visits, congestive heart failure, acute myocardial infarction, dysrhythmia, ischemic heart disease, chronic lung disease, peneumonia each year are attributable to fine particle pollution from U.S. coal-fired power plants. Fine particle pollution is formed from a combination of soot, acid droplets, and heavy metals formed from sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, and soot. Among those particles, the most dangerous are the smallest (smaller than 2.5 microns), which are so tiny that they can evade the lung's natural defenses, enter the bloodstream, and be transported to vital organs. Impacts are especially severe among the elderly, children, and those with respiratory disease. Low-income and minority populations are disproportionately impacted as well, due to the tendency of companies to avoid locating power plants upwind of affluent communities.
The table below estimates the death and illness attributable to the Mill Creek Station. Abt assigned a value of $7,300,000 to each 2010 mortality, based on a range of government and private studies. Valuations of illnesses ranged from $52 for an asthma episode to $440,000 for a case of chronic bronchitis.[38]
Table 1: Death and disease attributable to fine particle pollution from the Mill Creek Station
| Type of Impact | Annual Incidence | Valuation |
|---|---|---|
| Deaths | 75 | $550,000 |
| Heart attacks | 110 | $12,000,000 |
| Asthma attacks | 1,200 | $64,000 |
| Hospital admissions | 54 | $1,300,000 |
| Chronic bronchitis | 45 | $20,000,000 |
| Asthma ER visits | 73 | $27,000 |
Source: "Find Your Risk from Power Plant Pollution," Clean Air Task Force interactive table, accessed February 2011
Coal Waste
Water Contamination
In August 2010, a study released by the Environmental Integrity Project, the Sierra Club and Earthjustice reported that Kentucky, along with 33 other states, had significant groundwater contamination from coal ash that was not currently regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The report, in an attempt to pressure the EPA to regulate coal ash, noted that most states do not monitor drinking water contamination levels near waste disposal sites.[39][40] The report mentioned that Kentucky-based Mill Creek Station, Shawnee Fossil Plant and the Spurlock Power Station were three sites that had groundwater contamination due to coal ash waste.[40]
EPA "high hazard" dam
In November 2011, the EPA released a new set of data that revealed 181 “significant” hazard dams in 18 states - more than three times the 60 significant-hazard ponds listed in the original database released in 2009. In addition to the increase in the number of significant hazard-rated ponds, eight previously unrated coal ash ponds were found to be high hazard ponds in information released by the EPA earlier in 2011. Because of the switch in ratings after the EPA inspections, the total number of high hazard ponds has stayed roughly the same at a total of 47 ponds nationwide.[41]
According to the National Inventory of Dams (NID) criteria, “high” hazard coal ash ponds are categorized as such because their failure will likely cause loss of human life. Six states that gained high hazard ponds include:[41]
- Kentucky: Mill Creek Station, Louisville: 1 high hazard pond
Other coal waste sites
To see a nationwide list of over 350 coal waste sites in the United States, click here.
Citizen groups
- Coal River Mountain Watch
- Kentuckians for the Commonwealth
- Kentucky Environmental Foundation
- Kentucky Riverkeeper
- New Power
- Kentucky Environmental Foundation, Berea, KY, phone: (859) 986-7565
- Sierra Club Cumberland Chapter
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 https://web.archive.org/web/20230509053328/https://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/eia860m/. Archived from the original on 2023-05-09. Retrieved 2026-04-16.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://kyrc.org/louisville-share-your-concerns-about-mill-creek-plants-impact-to-air-quality/.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://www.lpm.org/news/2023-11-07/ky-regulators-approve-some-lg-e-coal-unit-retirements-new-natural-gas-unit.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 "Coal-Fired Mill Creek Generating Station Readies for New 7HA.03 Gas-Fired Unit". POWER Magazine. 2024-05-01. Archived from the original on 2024-06-06. Retrieved 2024-06-05.
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20230407223456/http://www.lge-ku.com/future. Archived from the original on 2023-04-07.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 6.0 6.1 "In Coal Country, GE Vernova Is Helping to Usher In the Energy Transition Through Lower-Emitting Natural Gas". www.gevernova.com. Archived from the original on 2024-06-07. Retrieved 2024-06-05.
{{cite web}}: Text "GE Vernova News" ignored (help) - ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 https://psc.ky.gov/Case/ViewCaseFilings/2025-00045.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 https://web.archive.org/web/20230321143518/https://lge-ku.com/newsroom/press-releases/2022/12/15/nearly-one-third-lge-and-kus-aging-generation-be-retired-2028. Archived from the original on 2023-03-21.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 9.0 9.1 (PDF) https://louisvilleky.gov/sites/default/files/2026-05/C-0127-22-0046-V%20%28R2%29_Draft.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/eia860m/xls/june_generator2026.xlsx.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20240607180240/https://www.gastopowerjournal.com/itemlist/tag/Kiewit. Archived from the original on 2024-06-07.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ (PDF) https://web.archive.org/web/20240606041818/https://lge-ku.com/sites/default/files/media/files/downloads/PSC-Order-110623.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2024-06-06.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/kentucky-utilities-submit-planning-permission-for-129gw-of-natural-gas-power-to-serve-data-center-sector/.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 14.5 14.6 14.7 (PDF) https://psc.ky.gov/pscecf/2025-00045/rick.lovekamp%40lge-ku.com/02282025010202/04-KU_LGE_Joint_Application_2025-00045.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 (PDF) https://louisvilleky.gov/sites/default/files/2026-05/C-0127-25-0007-V_Draft.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 16.0 16.1 https://web.archive.org/web/20250206041947/https://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/eia860m/xls/december_generator2024.xlsx. Archived from the original on 2025-02-06.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 https://www.gem.wiki/Coal_source_methodology_for_the_Global_Coal_Plant_Tracker.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 "2024 Joint Integrated Resource Plan of Louisville Gas and Electric Company and Kentucky Utilities Company" (PDF). psc.ky.gov. 2024-10-07. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2026-01-05. Retrieved 2025-05-20.
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 https://lge-ku.com/newsroom/press-releases/2024/10/18/lge-and-ku-forecast-load-growth-due-data-centers-and-economic.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ "Nearly one-third of LG&E and KU's aging generation to be retired by 2028". LG&E KU. December 15, 2022. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Ky. regulators approve some LG&E coal unit retirements, new natural gas unit". www.lpm.org. November 7, 2023. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Coal-Fired Mill Creek Generating Station Readies for New 7HA.03 Gas-Fired Unit". www.powermag.com. April 30, 2024. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "In Coal Country, GE Vernova Is Helping to Usher In the Energy Transition Through Lower-Emitting Natural Gas". GE Vernova. April 30, 2024. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 24.0 24.1 "View Case Filings for: 2025-00045 (Final order)". psc.ky.gov. 2025-10-28. Retrieved 2025-11-17.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory (based on Form EIA-860M as a supplement to Form EIA-860) - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)". www.eia.gov. 2025-10-24. Retrieved 2025-11-17.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Joint Application" (PDF). psc.ky.gov. February 28, 2025. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Kentucky utilities submit planning permission for 1.29GW of natural gas power to serve data center sector". www.datacenterdynamics.co. March 4, 2025. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "2021 Integrated Resource Plan," Louisville Gas and Electric and Kentucky Utilities, October 2021
- ↑ "PSC to retire several coal, natural gas plants," Middlesboro News, July 24, 2023
- ↑ “LG&E and KU forecast load growth due to data centers and economic development,” Louisville Gas and Electric Company and Kentucky Utilities, October 18, 2024
- ↑ “2024 Joint Integrated Resource Plan of Louisville Gas and Electric Company and Kentucky Utilities Company,” Louisville Gas and Electric and Kentucky Utilities, October 2024
- ↑ “Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory (based on Form EIA-860M as a supplement to Form EIA-860) - December 2024,” U.S. Energy Information Administration, December 2024
- ↑ "Coal-fired power failures during winter storm come to light months later," Kentucky Lantern, September 8, 2023
- ↑ 34.0 34.1 34.2 34.3 EIA (2024). "Clean Air Markets Program Data (CAMD)". Retrieved 2025-02-20.
- ↑ Clean Air and Power Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (February 2024). "Annual data 2022 vs. 2023". Retrieved 2025-03-04.
- ↑ Toxics Release Inventory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (October 2024). "2023 Basic Plus Data". Retrieved 2025-03-04.
- ↑ "The Toll from Coal: An Updated Assessment of Death and Disease from America's Dirtiest Energy Source," Clean Air Task Force, September 2010.
- ↑ "Technical Support Document for the Powerplant Impact Estimator Software Tool," Prepared for the Clean Air Task Force by Abt Associates, July 2010
- ↑ "Study of coal ash sites finds extensive water contamination," Renee Schoff, McClatchy Newspapers, August 27, 2010
- ↑ 40.0 40.1 "IN HARM’S WAY: Lack Of Federal Coal Ash Regulations Endangers Americans And Their Environment," Environmental Integrity Project, Earthjustice and Sierra Club, August 26, 2010
- ↑ 41.0 41.1 Ken Ward Jr., "EPA data reveals more dangerous coal ash ponds" Coal Tattoo, Oct. 31, 2011.
Additional data
To access additional data, including interactive maps of the power stations, downloadable datasets, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Plant Tracker and the Global Oil and Gas Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.
