Trimble County

Coal power plant in Kentucky, United States of America. Approximate location 38.5847, -85.4117.

CoalKentuckyUnited States of America

Trimble County is a 2,594 MW coal power station in Kentucky, United States of America. It is operated by Louisville Gas & Electric Co. Based on reported annual generation of 8,823 GWh, it can supply roughly 2.5 million homes. It ranks #83 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2003, it is around 23 years old — relatively modern. In context, coal supplies about 16.3% of United States of America's electricity; the national grid averages 384 gCO₂/kWh (43.0% low-carbon) (2025).

2,594Source-backed capacity
8,823GWh reported / yr
2,520,971homes powered
2003commissioned (~23 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0006071.

Data status

Known data

FacilityTrimble County WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Kentucky WRI
Coordinates38.5847, -85.4117 WRI
FuelCoal WRI
MW installed capacity2,594 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerLouisville Gas & Electric Co WRI
Commissioned2003 WRI
GWh reported / yr8,823 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions8,823,400 t CO₂/yr calculated
Capacity rank in country#83 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#24 of 802 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers4.65× · 558 MW median · 802 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent2,520,971 calculated from reported generation
Climate12.2°C · HDD 2,604 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC2 · 34/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

TechnologyNot available not in dataset
GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset

Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.

Capacity provenance

The public capacity above is the current source-record value. A 2026 tracker candidate lists 1,400 MW for Trimble County power station, but it is not used as the public primary value until scope is verified (unit vs operating vs installed/project total).

Capacity claim grade: B_SCOPE_PARENT_COMPLEX - recommended action: build_parent_complex_model - confidence: not_comparable_without_scope. This follows a claim-based data model: value + scope + source + confidence, rather than silently overwriting records.

Data provenance

The capacity and/or fuel fields on this page include a source-backed provenance label from GEM, an official registry, Wikidata, OSM, or a cross-source match.

capacity: GEM tracker 2026 (location L100000103951); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 2,594 MW, Trimble County is well above the median coal plant in United States of America (558 MW). Coal plants burn pulverised coal to raise high-pressure steam for a turbine; they run as baseload but are the most carbon-intensive mainstream source and the first targeted for retirement or efficiency retrofits.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

Reported generation trend

2013: 8,026 GWh20132014: 8,243 GWh20142015: 9,279 GWh20152016: 8,555 GWh20162017: 8,409 GWh20172018: 9,026 GWh20182019: 8,823 GWh20199k GWh

Annual generation (GWh), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by Louisville Gas & Electric Co. All plants by this company →

Local climate & thermal context

This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 38.6°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

12.2°Cannual mean temp
2,604heating degree-days (base 18°C)
503cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
240 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -1 °CJF: 1 °CFM: 7 °CMA: 12 °CAM: 17 °CMJ: 22 °CJJ: 24 °CJA: 23 °CAS: 20 °CSO: 13 °CON: 7 °CND: 2 °CD24 °C

Heating degree-days here run 6% above the median power plant in this dataset — a proxy for how much extra energy heated equipment must replace through its surfaces in winter.

Climate heat-demand index: 52/100 — this site sits in the mid third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.

Site climate & environmental severity

For a plant’s outdoor hardware — heat-recovery steam generators (HRSG), expansion joints, valves, flanges and their insulation — the local climate sets how fast unprotected steel and coatings degrade. This site sits in a mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — Low), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C2ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
34/100environmental-severity index
25.0°Cseasonal temperature swing
404 kmdistance to coast

Higher environmental severity is exactly where protective removable insulation pays back most: a sheltered micro-climate slows corrosion, UV and thermal-cycling damage and extends outdoor hardware service life. This is an indicative site-climate context — not a condition assessment of any specific plant or operator.

Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #24 largest coal power plant of 802 in United States of America by capacity.

United States of America has 802 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 621,194 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 38.5847, -85.4117 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Trimble County?

Trimble County is a 2,594 MW source-record coal power plant in Kentucky, United States of America, commissioned in 2003.

How much electricity does Trimble County generate?

Trimble County generates about 8,823 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Trimble County power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 2,520,971 homes.

Who operates Trimble County?

Trimble County is operated by Louisville Gas & Electric Co.

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