4th largest plant in Kentucky · 122nd nationally
Mill Creek (Ky) is a coal power plant in Kentucky with a nameplate capacity of 1,717 MW. It generates roughly 7.5M MWh per year — enough to power about 718,149 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 50% puts it in the middle range — running steadily but not full-time. At 2092 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 (1,717 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 | Mill Creek (Ky) |
|---|---|
| Operator | Louisville Gas & Electric Co |
| City | Louisville |
| County | Jefferson County |
| State | Kentucky |
| ZIP | 40272 |
| Coordinates | 38.05250, -85.91030 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | Natural Gas | 740 MW | Under Construction | — |
| 4 | Conventional Steam Coal | Bituminous Coal | 544 MW | Operating | 1982 |
| 3 | Conventional Steam Coal | Bituminous Coal | 463 MW | Operating | 1978 |
| 1 | Conventional Steam Coal | Bituminous Coal | 356 MW | Retired | 1972 |
| 2 | Conventional Steam Coal | Bituminous Coal | 356 MW | Operating | 1974 |
| Owner | Location | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Kentucky Utilities Co | Lexington, KY | 6900.0% |
| Louisville Gas & Electric Co | Louisville, KY | 3100.0% |
Ownership reported to EIA Form 860. Percentages reflect reported generator-level ownership share, averaged when a plant has multiple generators.
| CO₂ | 7.9M metric tons |
|---|---|
| SO₂ | 3.3k metric tons |
| NOₓ | 5.7k metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 2092 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 | SERC |
|---|---|
| Balancing Authority | Louisville Gas And Electric Company And Kentucky Utilities Company |
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.