E W Brown

⛏ CoalElectric Utility1,457 MW capacity

7th largest plant in Kentucky · 162nd nationally

E W Brown is a coal power plant in Kentucky with a nameplate capacity of 1,458 MW. It generates roughly 964.1k MWh per year — enough to power about 91,822 average U.S. homes.

Its capacity factor of 8% reflects intermittent or peaking operation. At 2412 lb CO₂/MWh, its emission rate sits above the national grid average of roughly 800 lb/MWh.

PeakingMid-meritBaseload0%40%80%100%8%
Peaking — intermittent or backup

Month by month in 2024

100% capacity0Jan: 126.4k MWh (12% of capacity)JFeb: 80.8k MWh (8% of capacity)FMar: 119.1k MWh (11% of capacity)MApr: 116.6k MWh (11% of capacity)AMay: 59.8k MWh (6% of capacity)MJun: 124.6k MWh (12% of capacity)JJul: 131.5k MWh (12% of capacity)JAug: 138.9k MWh (13% of capacity)ASep: 89.8k MWh (9% of capacity)SOct: 119.5k MWh (11% of capacity)ONov: 127.3k MWh (12% of capacity)NDec: 86.2k MWh (8% of capacity)D

Ghost bars are each month's theoretical maximum (1,458 MW nameplate × hours in the month). Filled bars are actual net generation reported to EIA Form 923. The gap between them is capacity factor made visible.

Capacity1,458 MWnameplate
Annual Generation964.1k MWhEPA eGRID
Capacity Factor8%of theoretical max
Annual CO₂1.2Mmetric tons

Location

Plant NameE W Brown
OperatorKentucky Utilities Co
CityHarrodsburg
CountyMercer County
StateKentucky
ZIP40330
Coordinates37.78831, -84.71257

This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.

Natural GasCoalHydroelectricSolar

Generators (12)

IDTechnologyFuelCapacityStatusOnline
3Conventional Steam CoalBituminous Coal464 MWOperating1971
2Conventional Steam CoalBituminous Coal180 MWRetired1963
6Natural Gas Fired Combustion TurbineNatural Gas177 MWOperating1999
7Natural Gas Fired Combustion TurbineNatural Gas177 MWOperating1999
10Natural Gas Fired Combustion TurbineNatural Gas126 MWOperating1995
11Natural Gas Fired Combustion TurbineNatural Gas126 MWOperating1996
8Natural Gas Fired Combustion TurbineNatural Gas126 MWOperating1995
9Natural Gas Fired Combustion TurbineNatural Gas126 MWOperating1994
BESSBatteriesBattery125 MWRegulatory
5Natural Gas Fired Combustion TurbineNatural Gas123 MWOperating2001
1Conventional Steam CoalBituminous Coal114 MWRetired1957
SOLARSolar PhotovoltaicSolar13.0 MWOperating2016

Ownership

OwnerLocationShare
Kentucky Utilities CoLexington, KY5800.0%
Louisville Gas & Electric CoLouisville, KY5360.0%

Ownership reported to EIA Form 860. Percentages reflect reported generator-level ownership share, averaged when a plant has multiple generators.

Emissions (annual)

CO₂1.2M metric tons
SO₂362 metric tons
NOₓ266 metric tons
CO₂ Rate2412 lb/MWh
U.S. grid average800 lb/MWhNatural gas combined-cycle average900 lb/MWhCoal plant average2,100 lb/MWhThis plant2,411 lb/MWh

Annual totals and CO₂ rate reported by EPA eGRID for 2023. Reference averages are approximate U.S.-wide figures from the same dataset.

Grid context

NERC RegionSERC
Balancing AuthorityLouisville Gas And Electric Company And Kentucky Utilities Company

About Coal plants

Coal plants burn pulverized coal to boil water and spin steam turbines. They emit substantial CO₂, SO₂, and NOₓ along with mercury and particulate matter. Modern units include scrubbers and selective catalytic reduction; older units are increasingly being retired or converted to natural gas as economics shift.

Other plants in Mercer County

View all plants in Mercer County →

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