E W BROWN
OperatingCoal power plant
- Capacity
- 1,738 MW
- Primary fuel
- Coal
- County
- Mercer County
- Operator
- KENTUCKY UTILITIES CO
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 1971
- EIA plant ID
- 1355
- Generators
- 9
- Net generation (2024)
- 1,520 GWh
- Capacity factor (2024, EIA nameplate)
- 12%
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 37.7883, -84.7126
E W BROWN, a 1,738 MW Coal power plant in Mercer County, Kentucky. Operated by KENTUCKY UTILITIES CO, commissioned 1971.
How E W BROWN compares
With 1,738 MW of capacity, E W BROWN ranks 5th among the 31 operating power plants Bywatts maps in Kentucky and 5th of the 12 operating Coal plants in the state. It accounts for about 10% of Kentucky's operating Coal capacity and 8.1% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 50th-largest of the 324 operating Coal plants in the database. Commissioned in 1971, it is older than 63% of the 30 operating Kentucky plants with a recorded commissioning year. Its operator, KENTUCKY UTILITIES CO, runs 4 operating plants in Kentucky totaling 4,054 MW. It shares Mercer County with one other operating plant, DIX DAM.
Under the same EIA plant code, EIA-860 lists 9 generators at the site with 1,458 MW of nameplate capacity (this page's HIFLD capacity figure is 1,738 MW). Net generation was 1,520 GWh in 2024 (a 12% capacity factor), up 10% from 2022. Its generators came online between 1971 and 2016.
Grid neighborhood
The closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 138 kV line owned by KENTUCKY UTILITIES CO, about 0.1 miles away. Another 2 operating power plants totaling 90 MW sit within 25 miles; the largest is HAEFLING (62 MW, Oil).
Computed by Bywatts from HIFLD power plant and transmission line records and EIA-860/923 survey data; distances are straight-line. Sources and methodology
Weather peril exposure
E W BROWN is a 1,738 MW coal power plant in Mercer County, KY, operated by KENTUCKY UTILITIES CO, commissioned in 1971. Mercer County carries high modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 3.7 of 5 at the 67th national percentile. Riverine flooding is the leading peril, rated Relatively Low by FEMA at the 88th percentile.
The Bywatts loss layer is calibrated to solar PV hardware, so it is not applied to a coal plant. The ratings below are the FEMA National Risk Index county hazard ratings for this location.
Mercer County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riverine flooding | Relatively Low | 88th | 4.5 of 5 | 0.79 |
| Strong wind | Relatively Moderate | 82nd | 4.3 of 5 | 7.3 |
| Earthquake | Very Low | 73rd | 3.9 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | 72nd | 3.9 of 5 | 0.16 |
| Hail | Relatively Low | 71st | 3.8 of 5 | 3.5 |
| Ice storm | Relatively Moderate | 63rd | 3.5 of 5 | 0.88 |
| Lightning | Relatively Low | 54th | 3.1 of 5 | 52.1 |
| Winter weather | Relatively Low | 42nd | 2.7 of 5 | 10.4 |
| Hurricane | Very Low | 36th | 2.4 of 5 | 0.01 |
| Heat wave | Very Low | 20th | 1.8 of 5 | 2.9 |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 15th | 1.6 of 5 | <0.01 |
Perils not assessed in Mercer County
These perils carry no usable National Risk Index figure for this county, so they are excluded from the scoring rather than scored zero. A zero would claim the peril was assessed and found benign.
| Peril | Why it is not scored |
|---|---|
| Coastal flooding | FEMA rating is "Not Applicable" for this county |
Model hail, wind and flood exposure for Mercer County in the weather risk calculator
Ratings are the FEMA National Risk Index county hazard ratings; the peril score is a Bywatts transform of the FEMA national percentile. Full data sources and the solar vulnerability methodology are in the weather risk calculator.
Modeled estimate for screening and negotiation. Built from FEMA National Risk Index county hazard data and a solar vulnerability layer documented above. Not a quote, a binder, or actuarial advice, and not a substitute for a carrier's own model. Hazard data: FEMA National Risk Index December 2025, synced 2026-07-24. Resolution is county level, not site level.