Chilhowee

OperatingHydro

Ranked #20 of 29 Hydro plants in TN#300 of 1454 nationally

49.8 MW Hydro operating in Blount, TN — Tennessee Valley Authority

EIAGEMWD

49.8 MW

Nameplate Capacity

Generators

units

Conventional Hydroelectric

Technology

1957

Operating Since

Location

Coordinates

35.5453, -84.0503

County

Blount, TN

Nearby Plants

Calderwood
Hydro156.6 MW · 8.6 km
Cheoah
Hydro140 MW · 14.8 km
SR Maryville
Solar1.3 MW · 16.1 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 Smoky Mountains Hydropower	—
Owner(s)	Brookfield Smoky Mountain Hydropower LP	Brookfield Smoky Mountains Hydropower LP	—
Status	Operating	operating	—

Ownership Chain

GEM identifies the owner as Brookfield Smoky Mountains Hydropower LP

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

About

Chilhowee Dam is a hydroelectric dam located in Blount and Monroe counties, Tennessee, United States, between river mile 33 and 34 on the Little Tennessee River. Construction began in 1955 and was completed in 1957 to provide power for the operation of the Alcoa Aluminum plant in nearby Alcoa, TN. The dam is now owned and operated by Brookfield Smoky Mountain Hydropower. The dam's reservoir covers approximately 1,734 acres (702 ha) at normal full pool and has a drainage area of 1,977 square miles (5,120 km2). The elevation of Chilhowee Reservoir is 874 feet (266 m) above mean sea level (USGS). Chilhowee's powerhouse is equipped with three Kaplan turbines that have a combined generating capacity of 48 megawatts.

Read more on Wikipedia

The Chilhowee hydroelectric plant is located in Blount County, Tennessee. The plant has a total capacity of 49.8 MW across three generators, and it began operating in 1957. The primary fuel source is water ("WAT"). Brookfield Smoky Mountain Hydropower LP is the plant's operator, and the balancing authority is the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). Chilhowee operates within the SERC NERC region.

In the most recent year with available data, the plant generated 159,115 MWh, achieving a capacity factor of 36.4%. Chilhowee is ranked as the 20th largest power plant in Tennessee out of 29, and it is ranked 304th nationally out of 1464 plants. Financial data indicates that the plant has a power purchase agreement (PPA) price of $79 per MWh, as reported in FERC EQRs.

Generated from EIA, GEM, and public data sources