Dardanelle — Plant Summary
- EIA Plant ID
- 199
- Capacity
- 160.8 MW
- Primary Fuel
- Hydro
- Technology
- Conventional Hydroelectric
- Status
- Operating
- Location
- Pope, AR
- Operating Since
- 1965
- Generators
- 4
- Operator
- USCE-Little Rock District
- Parent Company
- —
- Annual Generation
- 517,332 MWh
- Capacity Factor
- 36.7%
- Balancing Authority
- Southwestern Power Administration
- ISO/RTO
- —
- NERC Region
- MRO
Dardanelle
OperatingHydro
Ranked #2 of 19 Hydro plants in AR#123 of 1454 nationally
160.8 MW Hydro operating in Pope, AR — Southwestern Power Administration
EIAGEMWD
160.8 MW
Nameplate Capacity
4
Generators
units
Conventional Hydroelectric
Technology
1965
Operating Since
Location
Coordinates
35.2503, -93.1686
County
Pope, AR
Nearby Plants
- Arkansas Nuclear OneNuclear1845 MW · 9.1 km
- Clarendon Solar FarmSolar2 MW · 29.0 km
Ownership & Operator
Owner data does not fully agree across sources.
EIA typically reports the operating utility, while GEM resolves to the financial owner or parent corporation. Both can be correct.
| Field | EIA | GEM | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | USCE-Little Rock District | US Army Corps of Engineers - Little Rock District | — |
| Owner(s) | USCE-Little Rock District | US Army Corps of Engineers - Little Rock District [100%] | — |
| Status | Operating | operating | — |
Ownership Chain
GEM identifies the owner as US Army Corps of Engineers - Little Rock District [100%]
This entity is not yet in the GEM ownership database — chain unavailable.
About
The Dardanelle hydroelectric plant is located in Pope County, Arkansas. It is owned and operated by the US Army Corps of Engineers (USCE) Little Rock District. The plant began operating in 1965 and has a total capacity of 160.8 MW across four generators. The primary fuel source is water (WAT), utilizing conventional hydroelectric technology.
In the most recent year of data, the plant generated 517,332 MWh of electricity, achieving a capacity factor of 36.7%. Dardanelle is the second-largest of five hydroelectric plants in Arkansas, and ranks 123rd out of 194 nationally. The plant operates within the balancing authority of the Southwestern Power Administration and is located in the Midwest Reliability Organization (MRO) NERC region.
Generated from EIA, GEM, and public data sources
Engineering & Generators
Grid Context
NERC Region
MRO
Balancing Authority
Southwestern Power Administration
Grid Voltage
161 kV
Regulatory Status
RE
Entity Type
Federal
Sector
Electric Utility
Generation
52.2K MWh
Latest Month
517.3K MWh
Annual Generation
36.7%
Capacity Factor
Jan 2022 – Dec 2024
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
Grid·other
Corps of Engineers in Arkansas to increase hydropower production during winter storm
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Little Rock District will bring its hydropower plants online to help meet energy demand as a winter storm...
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (other)
Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette·4 weeks ago
Industry·corporate
Entergy Arkansas unveils ‘Next Generation’ plan; will seek to extend nuclear licenses
Entergy Arkansas officials held a high-profile press conference at the state capitol Thursday (Dec. 18) to unveil aspects of a comprehensive...
Entergy Arkansas (operator)
Talk Business & Politics·3 months ago
Industry·technology
Mini-Reactors Coming to Arkansas?
In October, the Arkansas state legislature's Joint Energy Committee hired a Maryland firm to study the feasibility of adopting small...
Arkansas (other)Maryland (other)
Arkansas Money & Politics·3 months ago
Grid·other
Corps says Dardanelle Lock and Dam should reopen by end of the week after barge wreck
The Dardanelle Lock and Dam on the Arkansas River is expected to be open to navigation again by the end of the week, the U.S. Army Corps of...
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (other)
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette·3 months ago
Last updated 2026-03-14
View all 10 articles