A response to Mills’ recent op-ed “Kentucky has the opportunity to lead in helping U.S. achieve energy dominance”
“China is aggressively investing in artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, critical minerals and energy infrastructure because they understand something many in Washington have forgotten: nations that control energy, control economic power. America cannot afford to become dependent on foreign adversaries for the energy and technology systems that drive our economy.”
Sen. Robby Mills makes this statement in his recent commentary and on this point the senator and I are in whole-hearted agreement. What Sen. Mills gets totally wrong is that fossil fuels are not the only energy source of the future and China and the rest of the world understand that. As the world demand for electricity soars, China is positioned to produce it in abundance at home and to export the technology to the rest of the world.
To put this in perspective, at the end of 2025, China’s domestic solar capacity alone (1.2 TW) was about 85% of the entire 1.4 TW generating capacity of the United States from all sources, and Chinese manufacturers exported roughly that much capacity to the rest of the world on top of that.
Sen. Mills’ approach to meeting Chinese competition is exemplified by his co-sponsorship of Senate Bill 4 in 2023 and Senate Bill 349 in 2024. Both were designed to extend the life of uneconomic coal-fired power plants and to discourage utilities from replacing them with other energy options. The utility companies themselves, including Duke Energy Kentucky, opposed SB 349, warning it imposed “undue costs on customers” and a “willingness to jeopardize access to affordable, reliable power,” according to Amy Spiller, the president of Duke Energy in this article.
The senator writes that Kentucky must attract “private investment” and “remain competitive for industries that will define the future economy.” Consider that statement alongside Kentucky’s recent loss to Oklahoma of Century Aluminum’s planned $5 billion smelter, the first to be built in the U.S. since 1980. It’s not only China that we are competing against. When it comes to jobs, we’re also competing against the other 49 states.
Century Aluminum was explicit about their needs: “competitive rates” and “ample supplies of carbon-free electricity,” per this Canary Media article. Kentucky, which generates 67% of its electricity from coal and 26% from gas, could not meet Century’s needs. Century’s SVP of strategy said in the article that “Ultimately, to really operate a smelter here [in the U.S.], you need an energy strategy that incorporates all the different fuel mixes.” He didn’t need to say what it was Kentucky lacked.
As Kentucky and the nation face unprecedented demand for energy from industry and new demand from data centers, we need to encourage development of generation capacity from all sources. If we expect to attract modern industry and the jobs it brings, we have to acknowledge its demands. The alternative is to stand by and watch as industry chooses other locations.
Houston Keach
Henderson
For reference and further reading:
America’s Electricity Generation Capacity 2026 Update. American Public Power Association 2026
China Adds 315 GW of solar in 2025. PV Magazine 28 Jan 2026
Kentucky Republicans Split Over Renewed Law to Prop Up Costly Coal. Sierra Magazine. 6 May 2024
Loss of green smelter highlights Kentucky’s need for clean electricity. Canary Media. 10 Feb 2026
It takes two aluminum firms to build one power-hungry smelter. Canary Media. 26 January 2026
