Kentucky Dam

OperatingHydro

Ranked #2 of 14 Hydro plants in KY#88 of 1454 nationally

218.6 MW Hydro operating in Marshall, KY — Tennessee Valley Authority

EIAGEMWD

218.6 MW

Nameplate Capacity

Generators

units

Conventional Hydroelectric

Technology

1944

Operating Since

Location

Coordinates

37.0131, -88.2692

County

Marshall, KY

Nearby Plants

Barkley
Hydro130 MW · 4.4 km
Calvert City
Natural Gas26.7 MW · 8.4 km
Marshall Energy Facility
Natural Gas688 MW · 11.4 km

Ownership & Operator

Field	EIA	GEM	Wikidata
Operator	Tennessee Valley Authority	Tennessee Valley Authority	—
Owner(s)	Tennessee Valley Authority	Tennessee Valley Authority	—
Status	Operating	operating	—

Ownership Chain

About

Kentucky Dam is a hydroelectric dam on the Tennessee River on the county line between Livingston and Marshall counties in the U.S. state of Kentucky. The dam is the lowermost of nine dams on the river owned and operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority, which built the dam in the late 1930s and early 1940s to improve navigation on the lower part of the river and reduce flooding on the lower Ohio and Mississippi rivers. It was a major project initiated during the New Deal of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's administration, to invest in infrastructure to benefit the country. The dam impounds the Kentucky Lake of 160,000 acres (65,000 ha), which is the largest of TVA's reservoirs and the largest artificial lake by area in the Eastern United States. It was designated as an National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1996 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2017.

Read more on Wikipedia

Kentucky Dam, located in Marshall County, Kentucky, is a hydroelectric power plant owned and operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). The plant began operating in 1944 and has a total capacity of 218.6 MW, distributed across five generators. It utilizes conventional hydroelectric technology, drawing power from the impoundment of the Tennessee River. The plant operates within the Tennessee Valley Authority balancing authority and the SERC NERC region.

In the most recent year with available data, Kentucky Dam generated 1,143,080 MWh of electricity, achieving a capacity factor of 59.5%. The plant is ranked as the second largest of five hydroelectric facilities in Kentucky, and 88th out of 194 nationally. News coverage related to the plant has focused on industry trends, hazards, and grid operations.

Generated from EIA, GEM, and public data sources

Wikipedia EIA Plant Profile Wikidata Global Energy Monitor

Engineering & Generators

Grid Context

NERC Region

SERC

Balancing Authority

Tennessee Valley Authority

Grid Voltage

161 kV

Regulatory Status

Entity Type

Federal

Sector

Electric Utility

Generation

87.3K MWh

Latest Month

1.1M MWh

Annual Generation

59.5%

Capacity Factor

Jan 2023 – Dec 2025

Financial Data

No financial data available for this plant.

Pricing & Market Data

This plant is outside organized wholesale electricity markets (ISOs/RTOs). Nodal pricing data is not available.

News & Articles (10)Beta

Hazards·ice storm

Gov. Beshear gives update on winter storm system

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WBKO) - Kentucky officials gave an update on the state's response to the winter storm system today. As snow, sleet, and ice...

Kentucky (other)

WBKO·4 weeks ago

Hazards·ice storm

Gov. Beshear Provides Update on State's Response to Winter Storm System Governor encourages Kentuckians to stay home as crews work to clear snow and ice from roadways; power outages climb to over 50,000, with more expected

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Jan. 25, 2026) – Today, Gov. Andy Beshear was joined by Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) Secretary Jim Gray and...

Andy Beshear (other)Jim Gray (other)

92.7 The Wave·4 weeks ago