One of western Kentuckys iconic coal-producing power plants has burned its last load of coal and has been retired for good.
The Tennessee Valley Authoritys Paradise power plant was the largest megawatt capacity power plant in Kentucky. Two of the three coal units were retired in 2017 and the third was closed last month.
A push by President Barack Obama for cleaner, sustainable coal-alternative energy sources was seen by some as a war on coal. Employment in the U.S. coal industry is the lowest in decades. Muhlenberg County, where Paradise is located, has seen its coal workforce dwindle from nearly 4,000 to just 250 last year.
President Donald Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell both worked to keep the power plant open in the past year.
Despite four of the seven TVA board members being Trump appointees, they voted last year to close the plant saying keeping it open didnt make economic sense.
The power plant, located just east of Drakesboro and visible at a distance from the Western Kentucky Parkway, was built in the former town of Paradise. TVA razed the town in 1967 amid concerns that plant emissions and ash would be harmful to the health of nearby residents.
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