Cane Run Generating Station

The Cane Run Generating Station is a 640 megawatt, natural gas power plant owned and operated by Louisville Gas and Electric. It is southwest of Downtown Louisville, Kentucky, in its Pleasure Ridge Park neighborhood. It was formerly a coal power plant until 2015.

History

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