Kentucky Utilities
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Electric utility |
| Founded | 1912 |
| Headquarters | Lexington , United States |
Area served | 77 counties in Kentucky, 5 counties in Virginia |
| Owner | LG&E and KU Energy, LLC (a division of PPL Corporation) |
| Parent | LG&E and KU Energy, LLC |
| Website | lge-ku |
Kentucky Utilities (KU), headquartered in Lexington, Kentucky, supplies electrical power to 77 counties in Kentucky and an additional five counties in Virginia through its subsidiary Old Dominion Power. The company operates under the ownership of LG&E and KU Energy, LLC, which is a division of PPL Corporation.
History
Established in 1912 to serve five regions within Kentucky, KU grew its operations by acquiring Old Dominion Power in 1926. In 1998, KU became part of LG&E Energy, the parent company of Louisville Gas & Electric. British energy firm Powergen acquired LG&E Energy in 2000, and subsequently, the German corporation E.ON took ownership in 2003, rebranding the entity as E.ON U.S. PPL Corporation purchased E.ON U.S. in 2010, renaming it LG&E and KU Energy.
The term Utilities in the company’s name originates from its initial provision of multiple services beyond electricity, such as ice manufacturing. KU still retains ownership of the historic "Ice House" storage building located in Lexington and formerly operated a power facility that supported the city’s early trolley transportation system.
Among KU’s principal assets is the coal-powered E. W. Brown Power Station situated near Burgin, Kentucky, adjacent to Lake Herrington, which was created by the Dix Dam hydroelectric project completed in 1926. In 2019, KU centralized its electric distribution dispatch operations with LG&E’s control center in Louisville. The company dismantled older generation plants, including Pineville Station and Tyrone Station, by early 2020. KU continues to operate numerous customer service centers, distribution hubs, and operational facilities throughout its service area.
Acquisition by PPL Corporation
On April 28, 2010, PPL revealed a $7.625 billion deal to purchase E.ON US, the parent company of both KU and Louisville Gas & Electric. The acquisition was finalized on November 1, 2010, bringing KU under PPL’s suite of utility holdings.