Planning Kentucky’s Energy Future
A statewide process connecting energy demand, supply, transmission, and regional coordination so Kentucky can prepare for the decisions ahead.
Kentucky’s most important energy decisions are increasingly connected, but planning remains divided across utility territories and regional systems. The Kentucky Energy Adequacy Plan (KEAP) brings those perspectives into one statewide process. Led by the Kentucky Energy Planning and Inventory Commission (EPIC), KEAP combines disciplined forecasting, technical and industry expertise, and public responsibility. It helps Kentucky’s leaders understand how decisions fit together and test them against different future conditions.
Why Kentucky Needs KEAP
Kentucky’s electricity demand is growing, driven by economic development, industrial expansion, and proposed large loads such as data centers. At the same time, the generation mix is changing, infrastructure is aging, and major investments in generation, fuel supply, and transmission can take years to plan, permit, and build. A statewide perspective provides lead time, clarifies risks and opportunities, and helps Kentucky plan for reliable, affordable energy without presuming what the final answers should be.
One State, Many Systems, One Shared Picture
Kentucky has a particularly complex energy footprint. The Commonwealth is served by utilities participating in PJM, MISO, and the Tennessee Valley Authority region, as well as systems outside an organized regional transmission organization. Utilities plan for their own service territories and customers, while the Kentucky Public Service Commission carries out its statutory responsibilities for utilities under its jurisdiction. Those roles remain essential. KEAP does not replace them. It connects information and perspectives across systems to examine statewide questions: how much energy Kentucky may need, what resources could serve that demand, whether infrastructure can deliver it, and how regional decisions may affect Kentucky. This allows EPIC to identify statewide trends, risks, and opportunities that individual system plans are not designed to address on their own.
Built on Rigor, Experience, and Public Purpose
| Strength | Contribution to KEAP |
|---|---|
| Academic and technical rigor | Academic and technical partners contribute credible data, sound methods, disciplined forecasting, and specialized modeling expertise. |
| Practical industry experience | Utilities, fuel suppliers, customers, and other participants bring firsthand knowledge of operations, infrastructure, markets, investment, and customer needs. |
| Statewide perspective and public responsibility | EPIC and public officials keep the process focused on Kentucky’s broader interests, including reliability, affordability, energy security, and economic growth. |
No single institution or sector can provide Kentucky’s full energy picture on its own. EPIC brings these contributions together in one disciplined statewide process focused on the Commonwealth’s interests.