Louisville Gas and Electric Company and Kentucky Utilities Company (LG&E and KU) announced the official groundbreaking of their newest generating unit: Mill Creek 5, a 640-megawatt (MW) natural gas combined-cycle generating unit expected to begin powering customers’ homes and businesses in 2027.
Mill Creek 5 was approved last year by the Kentucky Public Service Commission as part of the utilities’ generation investment plan, which also includes adding new solar and a 125-MW battery energy storage system. At the time, the utilities also received approval to retire Mill Creek Unit 1 by the end of this year and Unit 2 in 2027, as well as several gas peaking units.
“Once complete, Mill Creek 5 will be a hallmark within our generation fleet that’s already among the nation’s best,” said Lonnie Bellar, senior vice president of Engineering and Construction at PPL, parent company of LG&E and KU. “The unit features cutting-edge technologies that maximize its power generation capabilities to help us close the gap toward net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, while preserving reliability and affordability for our 1.3 million customers.”
Mill Creek 5 will be the second natural gas combined-cycle generating unit in LG&E and KU’s generation fleet. In 2015, the utilities began operating Cane Run 7, which was a first-of-its kind in Kentucky.
Major project partners involved in the engineering, manufacturing and commissioning of Mill Creek 5 include GE Vernova; Vogt Power International Inc., a Babcock Power Inc. subsidiary; and TIC–The Industrial Company, which also will provide on-site construction oversight. At the height of construction, LG&E and KU expect to have an additional 500 contract personnel working on site.
Earlier this year, GE Vernova said it secured an order for 7HA.03 combined-cycle plant equipment from LG&E and KU to power the new combined cycle plant at Mill Creek. Mill Creek 5 will feature GE’s 7HA.03 gas turbine, which GE Vernova said will have the ability to use up to 50% hydrogen (by volume) as H2 becomes more available in the future. GE will also provide a STF-D650 steam turbine along with a W86 generator, a Vogt Heat Recovery Steam Generator (HRSG) and its integrated Mark VIe control system for gas turbine performance management. The performance of the new 7HA.03 gas turbine includes a ramp rate of 75MW/min as validated at GE Vernova’s Test Stand 7 in Greenville, South Carolina.
