A plan to construct an innovative, flexible power plant in Casey County, Ky., was approved last week by the Kentucky Public Service Commission.
East Kentucky Power Cooperative (EKPC) plans to build Liberty Station approximately four miles north of the city of Liberty on Ky. 49 on an approximate 100-acre site near an interstate natural gas pipeline and a high-voltage electric transmission line.
“Liberty Station will play an important role in EKPC’s power plant fleet,” said Anthony “Tony” Campbell, EKPC’s President and CEO. “Liberty Station will help to meet growing demand for electricity, while also strengthening the reliability of southern Kentucky’s electric grid and supporting intermittent renewables.”
Featuring 12 engine/generator sets, the plant will be capable of starting up quickly and ramping up and down rapidly. The plant will have sufficient capacity to serve the annual electricity needs of 95,000 typical Kentucky households.
The plant is expected to be in operation by late 2028 and will create 23 new full-time jobs. Construction will begin in autumn 2026. “We look forward to being part of the community in Liberty and Casey County,” Campbell said.
Primarily fueled by natural gas, the plant will feature reciprocating internal combustion engine (RICE) technology with a total capacity of 214 megawatts. As backup fuel, EKPC will maintain on-site storage of ultra-low sulfur diesel.
EKPC plans to construct enclosures around the generating units and add other features to diminish sound from the plant, as well as maintaining and adding vegetation to visually screen portions of the plant.
