February 17, 2026, ASHLAND, Ky. — Kentucky Power has filed an application with the Kentucky Public Service Commission (PSC) seeking approval to construct a new cooling tower at the Mitchell Plant. The project is necessary to ensure continued access to reliable baseload energy at the lowest cost for customers.
Kentucky Power’s share of Mitchell Plant represents approximately 780 megawatts of baseload coal-fired power serving customers across eastern Kentucky. The new cooling tower will help ensure the plant is available to serve customers now and in the future.
The Mitchell cooling tower project addresses structural deterioration identified during recent reinforcement work. Engineering evaluations determined that continued long-term operation of the current structure is not viable, and construction of a new cooling tower is critical.
“We have seen the value of having a baseload generation available, especially in times of extreme weather like we experienced at the end of January,” said Cindy Wiseman, president and chief operating officer of Kentucky Power. “Although there are some customers who do not like that this plant is located in a neighboring state, continued investment in our coal plant is hands down the most reasonable solution for customers from both a reliability and cost standpoint. Building a new cooling tower protects reliability, avoids the loss of existing generation, and helps ensure we can continue to deliver dependable energy to our customers in the most affordable way possible.”
Kentucky Power will invest approximately $95.5 million to rebuild the cooling tower. For the average residential customer using 1,206 kWh per month, the monthly bill is expected to rise about 2.3% when the project is completed in 2029. Beginning in 2027, customers may see smaller, temporary rate impacts of roughly 1% during construction; these early impacts are not in addition to the 2.3% projected for 2029.
The proposed project will undergo review by the Kentucky Public Service Commission. The West Virginia Public Service Commission will also review and issue an order on this project since Mitchell Plant is jointly owned with Wheeling Power. Additional information about the filing is available on the Kentucky Public Service Commission’s website.
Kentucky Power, with headquarters in Ashland, provides electric service to about 163,000 customers in 20 eastern Kentucky counties, including Boyd, Breathitt, Carter, Clay, Elliott, Floyd, Greenup, Johnson, Knott, Lawrence, Leslie, Letcher, Lewis, Magoffin, Martin, Morgan, Owsley, Perry, Pike and Rowan. Kentucky Power is an operating company in the American Electric Power (AEP) system. For more information, visit kentuckypower.com.