Spurlock power station
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Spurlock power station is an operating power station of at least 1608-megawatts (MW) in Maysville, Mason, Kentucky, United States. It is also known as HL Spurlock power station.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Spurlock power station | Maysville, Mason, Kentucky, United States | 38.700089, -83.817286 (exact)[1] |
Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):
- Unit 1, Unit 2, Unit 3, Unit 4: 38.700089, -83.817286
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | CHP | Start year | Emergency/Backup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1, timepoint 1 | Operating | coal: bituminous[2] | 357.6 | subcritical | yes | 1977 | no |
| Unit 1, timepoint 2 | Pre-construction[3][4][5][6] | fossil gas: natural gas, coal: bituminous[3][2][6] | 357.6[3] | steam turbine[3] | yes | 2029 (planned)[3] | no |
| Unit 2, timepoint 1 | Operating | coal: bituminous[2] | 592.1 | subcritical | yes | 1981 | no |
| Unit 2, timepoint 2 | Pre-construction[3][4][5][6] | fossil gas: natural gas, coal: bituminous[3][2][6] | 592.1[3] | steam turbine[3] | yes | 2029 (planned)[3] | no |
| Unit 3, timepoint 1 | Operating | coal: bituminous[2] | 329.4 | subcritical | yes | 2005 | no |
| Unit 3, timepoint 2 | Pre-construction[3][4][5][6] | fossil gas: natural gas, coal: bituminous[3][2][6] | 329.4[3] | steam turbine[3] | yes | 2029 (planned)[3] | no |
| Unit 4, timepoint 1 | Operating | coal: bituminous[2] | 329.4 | subcritical | yes | 2009 | no |
| Unit 4, timepoint 2 | Pre-construction[3][4][5][6] | fossil gas: natural gas, coal: bituminous[3][2][6] | 329.4[3] | steam turbine[3] | yes | 2029 (planned)[3] | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Unit 1, timepoint 1 | East Kentucky Power Cooperative Inc [100%][5] | East Kentucky Power Cooperative Inc [100.0%] |
| Unit 1, timepoint 2 | East Kentucky Power Cooperative Inc [100%][5] | East Kentucky Power Cooperative Inc [100.0%] |
| Unit 2, timepoint 1 | East Kentucky Power Cooperative Inc [100%][5] | East Kentucky Power Cooperative Inc [100.0%] |
| Unit 2, timepoint 2 | East Kentucky Power Cooperative Inc [100%][5] | East Kentucky Power Cooperative Inc [100.0%] |
| Unit 3, timepoint 1 | East Kentucky Power Cooperative Inc [100%][5] | East Kentucky Power Cooperative Inc [100.0%] |
| Unit 3, timepoint 2 | East Kentucky Power Cooperative Inc [100%][5] | East Kentucky Power Cooperative Inc [100.0%] |
| Unit 4, timepoint 1 | East Kentucky Power Cooperative Inc [100%][5] | East Kentucky Power Cooperative Inc [100.0%] |
| Unit 4, timepoint 2 | East Kentucky Power Cooperative Inc [100%][5] | East Kentucky Power Cooperative Inc [100.0%] |
Unit-level fuel conversion details:
Unit 1: Conversion in pre-construction phase from coal to fossil gas in 2029.
Unit 2: Conversion in pre-construction phase from coal to fossil gas in 2029.
Unit 3: Conversion in pre-construction phase from coal to fossil gas in 2029.
Unit 4: Conversion in pre-construction phase from coal to fossil gas in 2029.
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.
Ownership Tree
This ownership tree is part of the Global Energy Ownership Tracker, a project of Global Energy Monitor.
Background
Spurlock Station is EKPC’s largest power plant, featuring four coal-fueled units capable of generating 1,608 MW of electricity, which is more than 40% of EKPC’s total fleet capacity. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Greenhouse Gas Rule, finalized in 2024, requires coal-fueled electric-generating units in the U.S. to shut down by 2032 unless they are converted to use gas as fuel.[1]
In June 2026, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) allocated US$90.6 million under the Defense Production Act to “modernize” coal units at Cooper power station and Spurlock power station. According to the DOE, each unit was expected to receive “significant upgrades that will extend operational life.”[7][8] The DOE’s Hydrocarbons and Geothermal Energy Office also allocated US$400,000 to East Kentucky Power Cooperative to conduct a pre-Front-End Engineering Design study on retrofitting Spurlock coal Units 1 and 2 for gas co-firing. The retrofitted units would reportedly be evaluated for their effects on mercury emission controls and the zero liquid discharge process.[9]
Conversion to Gas
EKPC plans to convert boilers on all four of its Spurlock station coal units to use both coal and gas as fuel, allowing the units to continue operating. Commercial operation on all four converted units is expected by December 2029. The estimated cost of the project is $187 million. Once converted, the units will allow for co-firing of gas up to 50%. EKPC will contract with a third party to construct a gas pipeline to the power station.[1]
In November 2024, EKPC filed a related application with the Kentucky Public Service Commission.[10] In July 2025, EKPC was granted a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CNPC) to retrofit Spurlock Units 1-4 for the purpose of co-fire generation.[11]
Emissions Data
- 2024 Gross Load (MWh): 8,509,597[12]
- 2024 SO2 Mass (short tons): 3,903[12]
- 2024 CO2 Mass (short tons): 8,289,039[12]
- 2024 NOx Mass (short tons): 3,139[12]
- 2023 Mercury emissions (Hg, lb): 14.92[13][14]
Death and disease attributable to fine particle pollution from the Spurlock power 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.[15] 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 Spurlock Power 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.[16]
Table 1: Death and disease attributable to fine particle pollution from the Spurlock power station
| Type of Impact | Annual Incidence | Valuation |
|---|---|---|
| Deaths | 76 | $550,000,000 |
| Heart attacks | 120 | $13,000,000 |
| Asthma attacks | 1,200 | $62,000 |
| Hospital admissions | 56 | $1,300,000 |
| Chronic bronchitis | 45 | $20,000,000 |
| Asthma ER visits | 65 | $24,000 |
Source: "Find Your Risk from Power Plant Pollution," Clean Air Task Force interactive table, accessed February 2011
Coal Ash Waste
Coal Ash Waste and 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.[17][18] 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.[18]
Coal Waste Site
Spurlock ranked 98th on list of most polluting power plants in terms of coal waste
In January 2009, Sue Sturgis of the Institute of Southern Studies compiled a list of the 100 most polluting coal plants in the United States in terms of coal combustion waste (CCW) stored in surface impoundments like the one involved in the TVA Kingston Fossil Plant coal ash spill.[19] The data came from the EPA's Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) for 2006, the most recent year available.[20]
Spurlock power station ranked number 98 on the list, with 196,954 pounds of coal combustion waste released to surface impoundments in 2006.[19]
East Kentucky Power Cooperative Settlement
On July 2, 2007 the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that East Kentucky Power Cooperative, a coal-fired electric power plant, will spend about $650 million in pollution upgrades and another $750,000 penalty in a civil suit for violations of the New Source Review requirements of the Clean Air Act at its Spurlock Power Station, Cooper Power Station and Dale Power Station.
“Today’s settlement is another example of the Justice Department’s continued commitment to aggressively enforcing the Clean Air Act,” said Ronald J. Tenpas, acting assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “The emissions reductions from this settlement are substantial, and we are pleased that East Kentucky finally agreed to resolve this litigation on acceptable terms and bring its facilities into compliance with important provisions of the Clean Air Act.”
The EPA and DOJ in 2004 filed a lawsuit against the utility for "illegally modifying and increasing air pollution at two of its coal-fired power plants."
The settlement states that the utility will install pollution control equipment to reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) by more than 60,000 tons per year.[21]
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
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 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) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 https://www.gem.wiki/Coal_source_methodology_for_the_Global_Coal_Plant_Tracker.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 3.16 3.17 3.18 3.19 (PDF) https://www.ekpc.coop/sites/default/files/New%20Generation/Spurlock%20Station%20co-firing%20with%20coal%20and%20natural%20gas_0.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 (PDF) https://psc.ky.gov/pscecf/2024-00370/allyson%40hloky.com/11202024063724/Application_New_Gen_-_Final_to_File.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 5.11 https://psc.ky.gov/Case/ViewCaseFilings/2024-00370.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 https://www.powermag.com/kentucky-utility-plans-new-gas-fired-units-coal-to-gas-conversion-and-solar-farms/.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ “Defense Production Act Title III Project Selections: Coal Fleet Projects and West Gateway Terminal,” U.S. Department of Energy, archived June 5, 2026
- ↑ “Trump’s new coal agenda will fund KY power plants already eyeing natural gas,” Lexington Herald Leader, June 5, 2026
- ↑ “Project Selections for Notice of Funding Opportunity DE-FOA-0003606, Improving Efficiency, Reliability, and Flexibility of Coal-Based Power Plants (Phase 1 - Pre-FEED),” U.S. Department of Energy, archived August 4, 2026
- ↑ "Application and Motion for Confidential Treatment" (PDF). psc.ky.gov. November 20, 2024. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Case Filings for: 2024-00370". psc.ky.gov. 2025-07-03. Retrieved 2025-11-14.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 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
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 "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
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 Sue Sturgis, "Coal's ticking timebomb: Could disaster strike a coal ash dump near you?," Institute for Southern Studies, January 4, 2009.
- ↑ TRI Explorer, EPA, accessed January 2009.
- ↑ "U.S. Announces Clean Air Act Settlement with Electric Utility," U.S. EPA, July 2, 2007
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.
