- Tony Campbell – President/CEO, East Kentucky Power Cooperative
- Don Gulley – President/CEO, Big Rivers Electric Corporation
- Missy Vanderpool – Executive Director, Henderson Economic Development
- Chris Girdler – President/CEO, Somerset-Pulaski Economic Development Authority
Sen. Mills, energy experts and business leaders discuss vital impact of dependable power on Kentucky economic development
FRANKFORT, Ky. (May 22, 2025) — Kentucky Senate Majority Caucus Chair Robby Mills, of Henderson, joined dozens of elected officials, energy experts and business leaders from across the Commonwealth for a special Dependable Power First Kentucky webinar on May 16.
The online event — “Powering Kentucky’s Economic Development” — focused on current industrial development trends, the state of Kentucky’s power grid and strategies to promote economic growth through sound energy policies.
“The current state of Kentucky’s power grid is fragile, and we need to continue to focus on adding capacity,” said Sen. Mills, who served as keynote speaker. “I think that everybody is slowly awakening to what people in the power industry have known for years — that there is going to be a stranglehold on energy if we continue down the path of ideology versus practicality in electric generation.”
Panelists for the event included the following Kentucky energy and economic development experts:
- Tony Campbell – President/CEO, East Kentucky Power Cooperative
- Don Gulley – President/CEO, Big Rivers Electric Corporation
- Missy Vanderpool – Executive Director, Henderson Economic Development
- Chris Girdler – President/CEO, Somerset-Pulaski Economic Development Authority
Campbell and Gulley explained the vital importance of a long-term, coordinated energy policy among federal, state and local partners for power providers.
“Electric reliability and affordability are the cornerstone of economic development,” said Campbell. “We’re seeing unprecedented grid load growth, and if we don’t have reliable and affordable power, it’s going to impact economic development.”
“I’m so appreciate of the support that Kentucky elected officials are giving to prioritizing reliability and dispatchable energy — because that’s the only way we’re going to continue to power economic development,” said Gulley.
Vanderpool and Girdler emphasized the pivotal role that an abundant, stable power supply plays in regional economic development efforts.
“Collaboration is key to every project that we pursue,” said Vanderpool. “When it comes to economic development, we can sell our communities; but before we get the opportunity to sell our communities, we have to make sure that we have the energy infrastructure.”
“All of our work toward comprehensive economic development — industrial, commercial and retail recruitment, arts and entertainment, education, workforce development and tourism — is for naught, if we do not have dependable, reliable and affordable power,” said Girdler.
Dependable Power First Kentucky is a statewide coalition working to promote a reliable, resilient, and affordable electricity supply for all Kentuckians by bringing together diverse stakeholders from across the state to shift the conversation around reliability and support policies that achieve this goal.
To learn more about Dependable Power First Kentucky, please visit DependablePowerKY.com.
A link to an archived video recording of the full “Powering Kentucky’s Economic Development” webinar is available here.
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Dependable Power First Kentucky works to promote a reliable, resilient, and affordable electricity supply for all Kentuckians by bringing together diverse stakeholders from across the state to shift the conversation around reliability and support policies that achieve this goal. For more information, please visit dependablepowerky.com.
