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FRANKFORT — A coal mine in eastern Kentucky that is slated to become a giant hydroelectric power plant is receiving significant support from the federal government.
Rye Development is based in Florida. $81 million in grants Received an award from the U.S. Department of Energy for the Lewis Ridge Pumped Storage Energy Project.
Funding would be provided through bipartisan infrastructure legislation.
a release The company says it is one of the first pumped hydro storage facilities built in more than 30 years and the first to be built on a former coal mine site.
Utility-scale batteries can provide stable power on demand for up to 8 hours.
“We are moving on.” – Sen. Johnny Turner, R-Harlan
Hydropower pumped storage power generation facility There are two reservoirs at different elevations, and electricity is stored by pumping water into the higher elevation reservoir and releasing it through a turbine into the lower reservoir. It essentially uses the force of gravity to store potential energy at higher altitudes. reservoir, It then moves downward using the force of gravity to generate electricity. reservoir. This process is repeated by pumping the water up to a higher level again. reservoir. Then electricity.
Rye Development CEO Paul Jacob said during a Thursday news conference with Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear and legislative leaders that the Bell County project is “something that has been built all over the world.” He said it was different.
“This is a mountain with five different coal seams and countless mines,” Jacob said. “We’re basically building a 60-acre pool on top of that mountain. That in itself is an engineering challenge. But the federal grant we received mitigated that risk and made the project possible. It helps you accelerate.”
Rye Development plans to invest $1.3 billion in the 287-megawatt project, which is estimated to create approximately 1,500 construction jobs. There will be 30 “operational” jobs and will generate enough energy to power about 67,000 homes, according to a press release from Beshear’s office. Jacob said construction of the project could take seven to 10 years, and the lifespan of the project could last up to a century.
Senate President Robert Stivers (R-Manchester) called the project regionally “transformative” and said it would have a major impact on what was previously a “rich energy producing region.”
“This is a perfect example. When people come together in an area, it can affect not just a county or a city, but six, eight, 10, 12 counties. And I have to say this. No: Maybe we can get into Tennessee a little bit,” Stivers said.
Beshear welcomed the project, saying state officials believe it is the “largest investment in Eastern Kentucky history.”
“There are a lot of sites like this on top of abandoned coal mines that could be part of the clean energy future,” Beshear said.
According to the Land Use Interpretation Center, there are dozens of utility-scale pumped hydropower facilities across the country. Rai Development also has such a storage facility in the Pacific Northwest.
Sen. Johnny Turner (R-Harlan), who represents Bell County, said that “the mountains were first coal,” but “now they are first water.”
“We’re moving on,” Turner said.
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