Standard&Poor's Ratings Services has assigned its 'BBB' issuer credit rating to East Kentucky Power Cooperative Inc. (EKPC). The outlook is stable. EKPC is a generation and transmission (G&T) cooperative. Its 16 member distribution cooperatives serve about 520,000 retail customers in 87 of Kentucky's 120 counties. In 2010, the cooperative produced 96% of the electricity it sold to its members and purchased the balance. This ratio exceeded 2009's 89%, which in part reflects the addition of 268 megawatts (MW) of new coal capacity in 2009. EKPC reported $827 million of fiscal 2010 operating revenues and nearly $2.6 billion of debt at fiscal year-end 2010 (Dec. 31). In 2010, EKPC was among the 10 largest G&T cooperatives in the U.S.
