Cane Run Generating Station

Coordinates: 38°10′36.03″N 85°53′28.07″W / 38.1766750°N 85.8911306°W / 38.1766750; -85.8911306
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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

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.

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]