ASHLAND, Ky., June 4, 2026 – Kentucky Power has been selected to receive funding through the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) grant program to support upgrades at the company’s Mitchell Plant. The $51 million grant will be used to invest in needed improvements to the plant, while helping to reduce cost impacts for customers.
The Mitchell Plant is a 1,560 megawatt (MW) facility in Moundsville, West Virginia, co-owned by Kentucky Power and its sister company Appalachian Power, both subsidiaries of American Electric Power (AEP).
The companies applied for the DOE grant to support installation of a new mechanical draft cooling tower and to replace the nearly 60-year-old natural draft cooling tower currently in operation. These upgrades will help improve efficiency and reliability of the plant, while supporting continued delivery of energy to communities across the region.
“Finding opportunities to responsibly manage costs for our customers is always top of mind for us,” said Cindy Wiseman, Kentucky Power president and chief operating officer. “This grant will allow us to modernize critical infrastructure and improve efficiency, while reducing the impact on customers. We thank the DOE for their partnership as we work to balance reliability, affordability and long-term value for eastern Kentucky.”
The DOE’s grant program is designed to fund high-impact projects that extend plant life and strengthen performance, benefits that help utilities deliver more reliable, affordable service to customers. This grant is part of AEP’s broader strategy across its 11-state service territory to secure federal funding to reduce customer costs while investing in reliability and resiliency.
About Kentucky Power
Kentucky Power, with headquarters in Ashland, provides electric service to approximately 162,000 customers in 20 eastern Kentucky counties, including Boyd, Breathitt, Carter, Clay, Elliott, Floyd, Greenup, Johnson, Knott, Lawrence, Leslie, Letcher, Lewis, Magoffin, Martin, Morgan, Owsley, Perry, Pike and Rowan. Kentucky Power is an operating company in the AEP system, one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, delivering electricity and custom energy solutions to 5.6 million regulated customers in 11 states. AEP also owns the nation’s largest electricity transmission system. AEP’s headquarters are in Columbus, Ohio.