• Kentucky Utilities (KU) plant
• Situated on the banks of Lake Herrington, this central-Kentucky site covers 664 acres. The Brown plant is unique in that it showcases three generations of electricity-producing processes
• The hydro plant, the forefather of today's units, when built was expected to supply electricity to KU's service area well into the 21st century. Today, however, the primary source of Brown's power is the three fossil-fuelled generating units and the newest addition to the site, seven combustion turbines
• Built in the 1920s, the Dix Dam hydro plant was a showplace filled with goldfish and flowers and hailed as the world's largest stone-filled dam. Originally a principal source of power, the hydro plant is now used mainly as an economic peaking unit to control lake elevation according to natural variations in rainfall
• In addition to Dix Dam, Lock Seven, located near the Brown plant but on the Kentucky River, began operation in 1927 providing 2MW of hydroelectric generation
• The second source of electricity generated at the Brown plant is the conventional fossil fuel units. Three generators can produce 715MW of electricity, more than one-fifth of KU's coal-fired capacity
• An average of 1.6 million tonnes of coal is burned annually at Brown station
• The newest addition to the Brown plant is the combustion turbine generating facility. Currently, seven turbine units are in operation. Five of the combustion turbine units deliver 110MW of power each; two have a capacity rating of 164MW each. They are fuelled by either natural gas or fuel oil
• During periods of high demand, the combustion turbines can be started and come to full load in just 30 minutes - impressive when compared to the 10 hours needed to start up a coal-burning unit. The combustion turbine units use hot compressed gases to power the generator. Air is compressed and forced into a chamber where combustion takes place, producing gases of almost 2,000°F. These gases are forced to a turbine, which uses the energy to propel the generator and create electricity
• The EW Brown Station has 142 employees, including those at the combustion turbine site
• KU has met the Clean Air Act's Phase II SO² and NO_x emission limitations at each station through a system-wide average starting in the year 2000
• The Dix River below the hydro plant supports a cold water habitat for trout. The EW Brown Station has partnered with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife to maintain and enhance the fishery
• Starting in 1995, the facility partnered with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife to participate in the Peregrine Falcon Restoration Programme which, since then, has helped remove the falcon from the Federal Endangered Species List. This has included the installation of nesting boxes, non-intrusive fibre optic camera viewing, hatchling banding and a community youth education programme

See data file for comprehensive environmental data

For more information: www.lgeenergy.com