SEN. JOHNNIE TURNER AND SENATE PRESIDENT ROBERT STIVERS APPLAUD A BELL COUNTY LEWIS RIDGE PUMPED STORAGE HYDROPOWER PROJECT ANNOUNCEMENT
The $1.3 billion facility to receive an $81 million federal grant to create over 1,500 jobs and enough energy to power nearly 67,000 homes each year.
FRANKFORT, KY (March 21, 2024)—Sen. Robert Stivers, R-Manchester, along with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and other stakeholders, announced the Lewis Ridge Pumped Storage Project has been granted federal funding of up to $81 million to aid in the development of a pioneering coal-to-pumped storage hydropower facility in Bell County, with an estimated total cost of $1.3 billion. This initiative is anticipated to generate approximately 1,500 construction jobs alongside 30 operational positions while providing sufficient energy to supply nearly 67,000 households annually.
“This is great news for Southeastern Kentucky and the commonwealth,” said Stivers. “This project will be a substantial investment in an economically vulnerable region that needs innovation to prepare its workforce for the 21st century. 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 can potentially power 67,000 homes and offer the hard-working people of our region a brighter future.”
According to Rye Development, the organization spearheading the initiative, the Lewis Ridge Project will be the first pumped storage hydropower facility constructed in the United States in more than 30 years and the first to be built on land used by a former coal mining operation. The system transfers water between two reservoirs: during surplus energy periods, water is pumped from the lower reservoir to the upper one, and during high-demand periods, water is released from the upper reservoir to generate electricity, ensuring reliability during weather extremes and daily operations.
The Lewis Ridge Project is another meaningful achievement made possible by the efforts of the Republican Supermajority in the General Assembly. In the previous legislative session, the General Assembly passed Senate Bill 4 to strengthen electric grid reliability in the Commonwealth and prevent the dangerous and sometimes deadly consequences of power outages. This session, the Senate Majority will continue its efforts to establish an infrastructure to meet Kentucky's energy demands.
“Today is a monumental win for the families of Bell County and all the families in Southeastern Kentucky,” said Sen. Johnnie Turner, R-Harlan. “Just like our forefathers who mined the coal that powered our great nation through the Industrial Revolution, east Kentucky will again be the foundation of America's future energy sector. This project will create thousands of good-paying jobs in the region.
“The war on coal has been devastating to our region, but this project is a step in the right direction. Water, just like coal, is a resource that defines East Kentuckians just as it does the natural beauty and wealth of the mountains. The Lewis Ridge Pumped Storage Project represents the beginning of a new chapter for Southeastern Kentucky. I applaud the stakeholders involved and look forward to seeing the economic and workforce benefits resulting from it.”
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Senate President Robert Stivers, R-Manchester, represents the 25th Senate District, including Clay, Jackson, Knox, McCreary, Owsley, and Whitley Counties. As of January 1, 2023, Stivers will have served as Kentucky Senate president for nearly a decade, first assuming the position in 2013, succeeding former Senate President David Williams. As Senate president, Stivers chairs the Senate Committee on Committees and the Rules Committee, and is Legislative Research Commission co-chair. Additionally, he serves as a member of the Senate standing committees on Education and Judiciary.