HENDERSON, Ky. (WEHT) – Gov. Andy Beshear joined the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to announce that the Lewis Ridge Pumped Storage Project was approved for an up-to-$81 million federal grant to help construct a first-of-its-kind $1.3 billion coal-to-pumped storage hydropower facility in Bell County.
Officials say the project will create about 1,500 high-quality construction jobs, 30 operations jobs and enough energy to power nearly 67,000 homes each year.
Officials say the U.S. Department of Energy’s Clean Energy Demonstration Program and Former Mine Land grant, funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, was approved for Rye Development to transition the former coal mine site, located adjacent to the Cumberland River, to a pumped-storage hydroelectric facility.
“This is great news for Southeastern Kentucky and the commonwealth,” said Senate President Robert Stivers, R-Manchester. “This project will be a substantial investment in an economically depressed region that needs this type of innovation. I am thrilled about this partnership, which stands to transform a former energy asset that powered Kentucky and America into a continued resource for our future. This project has the potential to power 67,000 homes and offer the hard-working people of our region a brighter future.”
Officials say the Lewis Ridge Project is the type of critical infrastructure project that is envisioned by Gov. Beshear’s Energy Strategy, KYE3, where energy, environment and economic development intersect. These facilities are the most common form of energy storage in the United States, representing 93% of all utility-scale storage. This project has the potential to produce up to eight hours of dispatchable power when needed, such as during times of peak demand or extreme weather events.
