Cane Run Generating Station

The Cane Run Generating Station is a 640 megawatt (MW), natural gas power plant owned and operated by Louisville Gas and Electric (LG&E). It is 10 miles (16 km) southwest of Downtown Louisville, Kentucky, in its Pleasure Ridge Park neighborhood. It was formerly a coal power plant until 2015.

Cane Run Station
Cane Run Station's former coal units viewed from the Louisville Loop bike trail
Map
CountryUnited States
LocationLouisville, Kentucky
Coordinates38°10′36.03″N 85°53′28.07″W / 38.1766750°N 85.8911306°W / 38.1766750; -85.8911306
StatusOperational
Commission dateUnit 1: 1954
Unit 2: 1956
Unit 3: 1958
Unit 4: 1962
Unit 5: 1966
Unit 6: 1969
Unit 7: 2015
Decommission dateUnits 1–3: 1987
Unit 6: March 2015
Units 4–5: June 2015
Owner(s)Louisville Gas and Electric
Thermal power station
Primary fuelNatural gas
Cooling sourceOhio River
Power generation
Units operational1
Nameplate capacity640 MW

History edit

Cane Run began operation on its first unit in 1954 and expanded to six units by 1969.[1] Its total generating capacity was 943 (MW).[1] Sulfur dioxide (SO
2
) scrubber technology, pioneered by LG&E, were installed at this plant in 1973.[1] President Jimmy Carter visited the plant in July 1979 to promote energy security during the 1979 energy crisis.[2] Units 1-3 were retired in 1987.[1] The power plant was mired in a lawsuit in 2013 from nearby residents over its dispersion of coal ash.[3] In preparation of converting to natural gas, Unit 6 was shut down in March 2015.[4] The final two units went offline in June 2015. At the same time, construction of Unit 7 was completed and began running on natural gas.[5] The former coal power plant structure was demolished by implosion on June 8, 2019.[6]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d "History of Cane Run Plant". Louisville Gas and Electric. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
  2. ^ Peters, Gerhard; Woolley, John T. (July 31, 1979). "Jimmy Carter: Louisville, Kentucky Remarks Following a Tour of the Cane Run Generating Station of the Louisville Gas & Electric Company". The American Presidency Project. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
  3. ^ Peterson, Erica (December 18, 2013). "Cane Run Power Plant Neighbors Sue LG&E Over Coal Ash". WFPL. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
  4. ^ Bruggers, James (March 30, 2015). "LG&E starts shutting down Cane Run power plant". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
  5. ^ Bruggers, James (July 7, 2015). "Sixty years of coal burning ends at LG&E plant". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
  6. ^ Ladd, Sarah (June 8, 2019). "Boiler house and smokestacks at Louisville's Cane Run Generating Station demolished". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved June 9, 2019.

External links edit