12.11.2007

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Three E.ON U.S. facilities have entered the Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection's environmental leadership program, KY EXCEL, at the Master level, which is the highest level of the program.

KY EXCEL members voluntarily improve and protect Kentucky's environment in ways above and beyond what is required by law. E.ON U.S. is the first energy provider in the state to be accepted into the program.

"The department is pleased to welcome the E.ON U.S. facilities into KY EXCEL as environmental leaders at the Master level," said Aaron Keatley, director of the Division of Compliance Assistance in the DEP. "The priority E.ON U.S. employees place on protecting Kentucky's environment and educating the public about using energy wisely is highly commendable."

Headquartered in Louisville, E.ON U.S. is a diversified energy services company that owns and operates Louisville Gas and Electric Co. (LG&E), a regulated utility that serves 324,000 natural gas and 398,000 electric customers in Louisville and 16 surrounding counties, and Kentucky Utilities Co. (KU), a regulated electric utility in Lexington, Ky., that serves 531,000 customers in 77 Kentucky counties and five counties in Virginia.

The company's Mill Creek plant in Louisville, the Trimble County plant near Bedford and the Magnolia natural gas stations in Larue County are the first E.ON U.S. facilities to obtain membership into KY EXCEL. Additional LG&E and KU facilities will apply for membership in the coming months as each facility meets the requirements of the program.

"As the state's largest energy provider, we take our role as environmental stewards very seriously," said Sharon Dodson, director of Environmental Affairs for E.ON U.S. "We're honored to be accepted as a member of KY EXCEL for continuing to go beyond what the law requires to operate in an environmentally responsible way."

These three E.ON U.S. facilities voluntarily committed to:

• Invest in research initiatives, like $25 million in FutureGen and the $1.5 million grant to the University of Kentucky's Center for Applied Energy Research, to develop clean coal technology.
• Participate in emission-reduction projects, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) program.
• Lead community outreach efforts, like Project Warm Blitz in Louisville and Winter Blitz in Lexington to focus on low- or fixed-income families.
• Place wooden platforms or nesting boxes at several company sites to increase the population of the Peregrine Falcon.
• Provide renewable energy to the regional transmission grid through the Green Energy program.

KY EXCEL, launched in 2006 by DEP, is a voluntary program open to any individual, organization, community or business to improve and protect Kentucky's environment above and beyond the state's environmental requirements. To learn more about the program, visit www.KYEXCEL.ky.gov or call the Kentucky Division of Compliance Assistance toll free at 800-926-8111.

E.ON U.S., headquartered in Louisville, Ky., is a subsidiary of E.ON A.G., the world's largest investor-owned energy services provider. E.ON U.S. is a diversified energy services company that owns and operates Louisville Gas and Electric Company, a regulated utility that serves 324,000 natural gas and 398,000 electric customers in Louisville and 16 surrounding counties, and Kentucky Utilities Company, a regulated electric utility in Lexington, Ky., that serves 531,000 customers in 77 Kentucky counties and five counties in Virginia.