At 3 a.m., long before most western Kentuckians begin their day, the paper mills are alive with motion. Their massive drums spin, conveyors move and production lines rumble on through the night. Deep underground, miners rely on electrically powered ventilation systems to keep air moving through the coal seams. Across the countryside, powerful fans continue turning inside grain bins, protecting harvests gathered from western Kentucky fields. Hospital staff continue caring for patients under bright lights that never go dark.
“People don’t always think about electricity until they flip the switch and the lights don’t come on,” said Richard Basham, Kenergy Industrial Director. “However, it’s something businesses depend on every minute of every day. Reliable power is what allows them to operate, compete and keep people employed.”
The region’s economy was built on industries that depend on reliable electricity around the clock. Even a brief interruption can affect production schedules, supply chains and essential community services.
While most people are familiar with roadside power lines, a much larger network operates in plain sight — as an afterthought to most — to keep electricity flowing where and when it’s needed. That network—and the planning, coordination and investment required to maintain it—is key to keeping our communities a safe and competitive place to live, work and do business.
Big Rivers Electric Corporation’s Role
While Kenergy is widely recognized as the consumer-facing utility providing electricity where it is needed, it’s Big Rivers Electric Corporation (Big Rivers) that is responsible for operating the lesser-known high-voltage transmission system. Providing wholesale electric power to 22 counties in western Kentucky, Big Rivers helps provide the foundation for that reliability.
As the wholesale power supplier for Kenergy, Jackson Purchase Energy Cooperative and Meade County RECC, Big Rivers generates and delivers electricity to member-owner cooperatives serving communities, farms, businesses and industries throughout the region.
But reliability involves more than generating electricity. Power must be available where it’s needed and delivered the instant it is needed. Any disruption in that process can lead to frustrating interruptions and lost opportunity.
Just as a car can’t take you very far without roads and highways, electricity can’t reach homes and businesses without transmission lines. Power plants generate electricity, but the transmission system is what moves it across the region to the people who depend on it.
As weather events challenge the system and demand grows, maintaining reliability requires ongoing investment in transmission infrastructure. Keeping the lights on isn’t just about meeting today’s needs—it’s also about planning for tomorrow’s.
That is why Big Rivers actively participates in regional transmission planning efforts that help keep the region connected to the broader electric grid.
Planning for Tomorrow’s Needs
“Our facility plans years into the future,” said Nicholas Rozanski, PM 18 General Manager at Pratt Industries, a paper mill in Henderson. “The electric grid has to do the same. The infrastructure decisions being made today will help determine whether businesses like Pratt Industries can continue operating and investing here tomorrow.”
That’s where the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, or MISO, comes in. If transmission lines are the highway of the electric grid, MISO is responsible for safely managing traffic on those lanes. MISO helps coordinate the flow of electricity across a 15-state region, and studies where future improvements may be needed to maintain reliable service.
Big Rivers works alongside MISO and other utilities to share local knowledge and help identify opportunities to strengthen the grid.
The goal is simple: ensure the electric system is ready to serve all whose livelihoods depend on it, for years to come.
Through this multi-year planning process, Big Rivers suggested an additional transmission line connecting the Reid Extra-High Voltage (EHV) Substation near the Webster/Henderson County line in Kentucky to a substation in Warrick County, Indiana. MISO evaluated this suggestion through a rigorous process and ultimately approved this plan for a new power line.
MISO named the proposed project “RIKY,” short for “Reid to Indiana/KentuckY (RIKY) Border.” Studies showed the project would solve a critical regional reliability need, enhance resiliency during extreme weather events and relieve bottlenecks and system congestion.
Throughout the process, Big Rivers has worked to ensure the interests of western Kentucky consumers are represented as regional transmission plans are developed and evaluated.
Keep Western Kentucky Running
Big Rivers has incorporated the proposed RIKY Transmission Project into its long-term planning as an investment in the reliable electric infrastructure western Kentucky will depend on for decades to come. “Western Kentucky’s economy depends on reliable electricity,” said Don Gulley, President and CEO of Big Rivers. “The industries that create jobs here, the hospitals that care for our families, and the communities we serve all depend on a strong transmission system. RIKY is an important investment that will help ensure our region remains well positioned to meet ongoing electric needs. At the same time, it creates value for our members by generating returns and helping offset the growing costs of the regional transmission system.”
Just as manufacturers, mines, farms, hospitals and businesses plan for the future, so too must the electric system that supports them. The work of maintaining and strengthening the electric grid happens far from the factory floor, the hospital ward or the family farm. But its impact can be seen every day—in the jobs it supports, the communities it powers and the opportunities it creates—making it, in many ways, the power that keeps western Kentucky running.