11th largest plant in Kentucky · 447th nationally
East Bend is a coal power plant in Kentucky with a nameplate capacity of 772 MW. It generates roughly 2.2M MWh per year — enough to power about 210,978 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 33% reflects intermittent or peaking operation. At 2462 lb CO₂/MWh, its emission rate sits above the national grid average of roughly 800 lb/MWh.
Ghost bars are each month's theoretical maximum (772 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.
| Plant Name | East Bend |
|---|---|
| Operator | Duke Energy Kentucky Inc |
| City | Union |
| County | Boone County |
| State | Kentucky |
| ZIP | 41091 |
| Coordinates | 38.90360, -84.85140 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Conventional Steam Coal | Bituminous Coal | 772 MW | Operating | 1981 |
| CO₂ | 2.7M metric tons |
|---|---|
| SO₂ | 1.6k metric tons |
| NOₓ | 1.4k metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 2462 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.
| NERC Region | RFC |
|---|---|
| Balancing Authority | Pjm Interconnection, Llc |
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.