Louisville Gas and Electric Company and Kentucky Utilities Company, part of the PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL) family of companies, are regulated utilities that serve a total of 1.2 million customers and have consistently ranked among the best companies for customer service in the United States. LG&E serves 321,000 natural gas and 400,000 electric customers in Louisville and 16 surrounding counties. KU serves 543,000 customers in 77 Kentucky counties and five counties in Virginia.
Key strengths
- Continuous best-in-class customer satisfaction ratings of all Midwest-utilities
- Highly ranked among all U.S. utilities for efficiency through operational focus
- Leading utility in Kentucky — with a stable regulatory environment, steady demand growth, and reasonable returns on regulated assets
Regulated utility operations
Two utility businesses that are regulated in Kentucky by the Kentucky Public Services Commission.
- Louisville Gas and Electric Company, an electric and natural gas utility based in Louisville, serving customers in Louisville and 16 surrounding counties. LG&E serves 321,000 natural gas and 400,000 electric customers in an area that covers approximately 1,300 square miles and includes Louisville and 16 surrounding counties.
- Kentucky Utilities Company, an electric utility, based in Lexington, Ky., serving 77 Kentucky counties and five counties in Virginia. KU serves 543,000 electric customers in an area that covers approximately 4,800 non-contiguous square miles and includes 77 counties in Kentucky, five counties in southwest Virginia that are serviced by Old Dominion Power Company (“ODP”), the name under which KU operates in Virginia, and five customers in Tennessee.
Louisville Gas and Electric Company (LG&E) is a regulated electric and natural gas utility, based in Louisville, Kentucky, serving Louisville and 16 surrounding counties.
History
In 1838, investors formed Louisville Gas and Water to provide gas-fired street lighting mandated by Louisville's city fathers to deter crime. The company sold gas from its local coal plant to fuel the gaslights. In 1842, the company dropped plans to build a waterworks and changed its name to Louisville Gas. In 1890, Louisville Gas amended its charter to buy stock in electric companies, and it acquired control of Louisville Electric Light. In 1913, through the merger of Louisville Gas, Louisville Lighting (founded in 1903) and Kentucky Heating, Louisville Gas and Electric (LG&E) was formed.
In 1989, the firm founded LG&E Energy Corp.
In 1998, LG&E Energy acquired KU Energy, which owned neighboring utility, Kentucky Utilities, and it entered into a 25-year lease of Big Rivers Electric's generating facilities. These two transactions more than doubled the size of LG&E Energy.
UK-based Powergen bought LG&E Energy in 2000, and in 2001, Powergen agreed to be acquired by Germany's E.ON. The deal was completed in 2002. In 2003, E.ON transferred LG&E Energy from Powergen to another subsidiary, E.ON U.S. Holdings.
In 2010, E.ON U.S. was acquired by PPL Corporation of Allentown, Pennsylvania.
Quick Facts
- LG&E serves 393,000 electric customers.
- LG&E serves 318,000 natural gas customers.
- Service area covers approximately 700 square miles.
- LG&E's total regulated generation capacity is 3,514 megawatts.
Our Vision:
Empowering economic vitality and quality of life.
Our Mission:
To provide reliable, safe, competitively priced energy to our customers and best-in-sector returns to our shareowners.
Our Values:
Safety and Health
We do not compromise on safety and health. The objective is very simple: zero accidents and no adverse impact on the public, employees or contractors.
Supporting behaviors
- We hold ourselves and our co-workers accountable for safe work behaviors, and we work in partnership with our employees and our union leadership where appropriate to ensure a superb safety culture in the company. We also hold contractors to applicable safety standards.
- We start jobs with an assessment of associated safety risks. The assessment includes identifying what could go wrong and developing plans to address those risks.
- We all participate in safety training programs and safety and health are regularly addressed at group meetings.
- Each of us has the authority to stop any job we believe is unsafe. Employee accidents and near misses are reported and investigated promptly and thoroughly for lessons learned to avoid future accidents.
- We hold ourselves accountable for complying with safety rules.
Customer Focus
We provide the highest quality, safe, reasonably priced service to all our customers, improving quality of life in the areas we serve. We anticipate and meet the needs of both our external and internal customers.
Supporting behaviors
- We listen to customers — both external and internal — treating them with respect and seeking their input to better understand their needs. Our customer commitment is reflected in our business processes, systems, organizational structures, decision-making and — most of all — in our behaviors.
- We seek to make every customer interaction a positive experience and to solve problems on the first contact.
- We serve as ambassadors for the company, encouraging customers and others who have a stake in our business to be active supporters of our operations and initiatives.
- We provide our customers with a wide range of information, programs and tools to help them use energy wisely.
- To create lasting value for the company and customers, we seek mutually beneficial relationships with a group of high-quality, diverse suppliers.
Employee Commitment and Diversity
We are committed to an inclusive, respectful and diverse workplace that rewards performance, enables professional development and encourages employee engagement. Employees take responsibility for results and are committed to diversity and to continual improvement.
Supporting behaviors
- We value inclusiveness and diversity as essential components of our identity and long-term success. We treat each other with fairness and dignity, fostering an atmosphere of professionalism and trust.
- We seek to be the "employer of choice" where we do business, providing a competitive compensation and benefits package and excellent career opportunities.
- Each of us accepts responsibility for doing the job right, for providing the best in service to external and internal customers, and for contributing to the company’s success. Employees throughout the organization share knowledge and act for the good of the entire enterprise.
- To enable employees to reach their full potential, the company offers extensive development opportunities. Employees take responsibility for managing their own professional development, pursuing the skills, knowledge and education that will support the continued growth of the company.
- We develop leaders who have the ability and commitment to enable excellent performance throughout the organization. All employees demonstrate leadership in supporting the organization’s values and objectives in their daily work.
Integrity and Openness
We act honestly and ethically in everything we do, adhering to the highest standards of conduct. We honor our commitments, take personal responsibility for our actions and communicate openly.
Supporting behaviors
- We rely on the proven personal integrity of PPL people to fulfill our mission. We share a commitment to established standards of conduct, agreeing that the end never justifies inappropriate means.
- We are trustworthy in all we do, telling the truth in all of our communications.
- We follow through on our commitments and take ownership for correcting our mistakes.
- We have the courage to act on our convictions, finding constructive ways to candidly share our views and promote positive interaction, even when it is difficult.
- We share knowledge with our co-workers, contributing to an atmosphere of teamwork and continuous improvement.
Performance Excellence
We have a personal commitment to excellence in all we do, taking great pride in our professionalism, attention to detail and continual improvement. Each employee understands that excellent day-to-day performance and a personal focus on results are essential to producing superior returns for our shareowners.
Supporting behaviors
- We set ambitious goals and objectives for ourselves, adapt well to changing circumstances and take personal responsibility for getting the job done right – the first time.
- We are never satisfied with the status quo and have a bias toward action, taking the initiative to anticipate and solve problems.
- We are reliable and results-oriented and focus on the long term, understanding that taking shortcuts for near-term performance is counterproductive.
- We trust one another’s good intentions and we value teamwork, seeking the creativity and perspectives of our colleagues. Effective teamwork requires active cooperation and the sharing of our knowledge and resources, while being sensitive to how our actions may affect others.
- As leaders, we create a supportive action-oriented environment, promoting employee growth through learning on the job and development programs.
Corporate Citizenship
We conduct our business in a responsible manner, considering the needs of present and future generations. We strive to be an exemplary corporate citizen, seeking to improve the quality of life in the communities in which we do business.
Supporting behaviors
- We are committed to environmental values that guide our actions on a daily basis, ensuring that we operate our business in a way that seeks to minimize our impact on the environment.
- We respect the regulatory role in our business, striving to live by the spirit as well as the letter of the law. We are committed to constructive relationships with the regulators who oversee our operations.
- We encourage employee volunteerism and support organizations that improve the quality of life in our communities.
- Through our corporate contribution programs, we provide funds for important community development, education and environmental initiatives.
- We are actively involved in economic development programs that enhance the communities we serve.
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