Cheoah

OperatingHydro

Ranked #5 of 38 Hydro plants in NC#138 of 1454 nationally

140 MW Hydro operating in Graham, NC — Tennessee Valley Authority

EIAGEMWD

140 MW

Nameplate Capacity

Generators

units

Conventional Hydroelectric

Technology

1949

Operating Since

Location

Coordinates

35.4478, -83.9383

County

Graham, NC

Nearby Plants

Calderwood
Hydro156.6 MW · 6.3 km
Santeetlah
Hydro45 MW · 6.7 km
Fontana Dam
Hydro254.7 MW · 12.1 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	Brookfield Smoky Mountain Hydropower LP	Brookfield Renewable Partners LP [100%]	—
Owner(s)	Brookfield Smoky Mountain Hydropower LP	Brookfield Renewable Partners LP [100%]	Alcoa
Status	Operating	operating	—

Ownership Chain

GEM identifies the owner as Brookfield Renewable Partners LP [100%]

This entity is not yet in the GEM ownership database — chain unavailable.

About

The Cheoah Dam is a hydroelectric dam located in Graham and Swain counties, North Carolina, on the Little Tennessee River between river miles 51 and 52. The Cheoah Development consists of a dam and powerhouse, the first of several constructed by the Tallassee Power Company, a subsidiary of Aluminum Company of America, in order to generate electricity to smelt aluminum in Alcoa, Tennessee. The name Cheoah comes from the Cherokee Native American word for "otter."

Read more on Wikipedia

The Cheoah hydroelectric plant is located in Graham County, North Carolina. The plant has a total capacity of 140 MW across 5 generators, and it began operating in 1949. The primary fuel source is water (WAT), and the plant utilizes conventional hydroelectric technology. Brookfield Smoky Mountain Hydropower LP is the operator. Cheoah is ranked 5th out of 8 hydroelectric plants in North Carolina, and 137th out of 194 nationally.

In the latest year of reported generation, Cheoah produced 484,893 MWh of electricity, resulting in a capacity factor of 39.5%. The plant operates within the Tennessee Valley Authority balancing authority and the SERC NERC region. Financial data is available for Cheoah, including a power purchase agreement (PPA) price of $79 per MWh, as reported to FERC.

Generated from EIA, GEM, and public data sources