In late December, the Kentucky Public Service Commission (PSC) granted EKPC Certificates of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCNs) for the construction of two solar power facilities. EKPC would construct a 96 MW facility in Marion County (Northern Bobwhite Solar Project), north of Lebanon, Kentucky; and a 40 MW facility in Fayette County, Kentucky (Bluegrass Plains Solar Project).
The BrightNight Mayfield Solar Project will feature 200 megawatts (MW) of solar generation and a 200-megawatt, 4-hour battery energy storage system (BESS). When completed, the project will span over 1800 acres in Graves County, Kentucky, continuing BrightNight’s rapidly growing renewables portfolio in the state.
The BrightNight Gage Solar Project project, located in Ballard County, Kentucky, will feature 240-megawatts (MW) of renewable solar power to meet regional electricity needs.
Starfire Mine, formerly one of the largest coal mines in the United States, will be the new site of an 800 MW solar energy center used by Rivian Automotives and nonprofit The Nature Conservancy. The announcement was made by global renewable power producer BrightNight. Once complete, the BrightNight Starfire Renewable Energy Center will have an 800 MW capacity, producing enough electricity to power over 500,000 households. It will be the largest renewable power project in Kentucky and one of the largest in the nation to be built on former mine lands, representing a $1 billion infrastructure investment. The project will also include BrightNight’s construction of up to a twenty-mile transmission line, enabling an additional 1 GW of renewable power generation to be built in the region in the future.
Toyota Motor Corp. is investing $922 million to build a new advanced paint facility in Kentucky that the company says will enhance the quality of its vehicle finishes, according to a Dec. 12 press release.
ReElement Technologies Corporation (“ReElement”), a leading provider of high-performance refining capacity of rare earth and critical battery elements, announced the expanded initiative at its Kentucky Lithium refinery to enable production of ultra-pure rare earth oxides and other byproducts from coal tailings and other types of mine waste in addition to battery-grade lithium products from spodumene-bearing ores.
Today, Gov. Andy Beshear was joined by local leaders and executives from Shelbyville Battery Manufacturing, a subsidiary of e-Storage, to announce the largest economic development project in Shelby County’s history and the largest jobs announcement in the commonwealth in more than two years. The nearly $712 million project creating 1,572 skilled, high-tech jobs represents the third-largest project for job creation during the administration and the fourth-largest investment.
AESC, a global leader in the development and manufacturing of high-performance batteries for electric vehicles and energy storage systems, along with Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, helped place the last piece of structural steel on its 1.6 million square foot facility in Bowling Green today. This “Topping Out” ceremony marks a significant milestone in AESC’s progress toward completing its state-of-the-art gigafactory in the Kentucky Transpark in Bowling Green, Warren County. The 30 GWh plant will create 2,000 new, skilled jobs for the region, producing battery cells and modules to power next-generation EVs produced for multiple global automotive manufacturers.
Ford Motor Co. announced a huge, $5.8 billion plan Monday to build twin battery manufacturing plants in Hardin County, Kentucky, that will create 5,000 full-time jobs and power its future lines of electric vehicles. Gov. Andy Beshear called it a "planetary-size investment" that will create tons of spinoff jobs outside of the factories themselves and will open doors for the Bluegrass State in new markets.
Partnership with EPB Chattanooga; KUB is 50% of a 66 MW solar site • Procured through a competitive process led by EPB • Silicon Ranch will develop, own, and operate the project in western Tennessee with expected completion in June 2028 • Interconnected to TVA transmission system • Price / MWh is fixed (no escalation) for 20 years • Net annual KUB savings = Est. $1.5 million • 20-year PPA term starts upon initial energy delivery date (June 2028)