Old Dominion Power
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Electric utility |
| Founded | 1912 |
| Headquarters | Lexington , United States |
Area served | 77 counties in Kentucky, 5 counties in Virginia (as Old Dominion Power) |
| Products | Electricity |
| Owner | PPL Corporation |
| Parent | LG&E and KU Energy, LLC |
| Website | lge-ku |
Kentucky Utilities (KU), headquartered in Lexington, Kentucky, supplies electricity across 77 counties within Kentucky and extends service to five counties in Virginia under the Old Dominion Power brand. KU operates as a subsidiary of LG&E and KU Energy, LLC, which itself is owned by PPL Corporation.
History
Established in 1912 to serve five regions in Kentucky, KU broadened its reach by acquiring Old Dominion Power in 1926. In 1998, LG&E Energy, the parent company of Louisville Gas & Electric, took ownership of KU. Subsequently, British energy company Powergen purchased LG&E Energy in 2000. This was followed by German firm E.ON’s acquisition of Powergen in 2003, leading to the rebranding of LG&E Energy as E.ON U.S. Later, in 2010, PPL Corporation acquired E.ON U.S., renaming the entity LG&E and KU Energy.
The use of the term "Utilities" in the company name originates from KU’s initial operations, which included both electricity generation and ice production. The company still retains the historic "Ice House" facility in Lexington, once utilized for cold storage purposes, and formerly operated a power plant that supplied direct current for Lexington’s early 20th-century trolley system.
Among KU’s principal assets is the coal-powered E. W. Brown Power Station located near Burgin, Kentucky, adjacent to Lake Herrington—a reservoir formed by the Dix Dam hydroelectric project completed in 1926. In 2019, KU merged its electric distribution dispatch functions with LG&E’s operations based in Louisville. The older Pineville Station and Tyrone Station plants were dismantled by early 2020. Throughout its service area, KU maintains numerous Customer Business Offices, Distribution Operations Centers, Service Centers, and supply storerooms.
Acquisition by PPL Corporation
On April 28, 2010, PPL announced an agreement to purchase E.ON US—the parent company of KU and Louisville Gas & Electric—for $7.625 billion. This transaction was finalized on November 1, 2010.