A rendering of the Lewis Ridge project in Bell County highlights a major energy initiative backed by federal funding. Two years ago, the U.S. Department of Energy awarded an $81 million grant to support the pumped storage project.
Now, Louisville Gas & Electric and Kentucky Utilities are exploring a partnership with Rye Development to build the 266-megawatt facility on a reclaimed coal mine site.
Paul Jacob, CEO of Rye Development, described the Lewis Ridge project as a large “water battery.”
“So you’re using gravity to flow water downhill to generate power, and then you’re using energy from the grid to push that uphill,” he said. “So it’s got about the same efficiency as a battery, but it lasts forever.”
Bell County, once a hub for coal production and electricity generation, has seen steep declines in mining and the closure of its power plant. Jacob said the new project could bring jobs and increased tax revenue to the region.
He also noted that similar sites across Central Appalachia could support comparable developments.
“You think of all the other impacted mine lands through Central Appalachia. This is something that can be repeated,” he said. “We’re doing this as a starting point, but we’d like to do more of these projects. And the potential is really tremendous.”
The project carries an estimated cost of $1.3 billion, with construction expected to begin next year and operations targeted for 2031.
The Lewis Ridge project originated during the Biden administration, which awarded the grant in 2024 through the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations.
About a year ago, the Trump administration canceled 24 project awards totaling $3.7 billion.
Louisville Gas & Electric and Kentucky Utilities is a financial supporter of WEKU.
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