Nantahala
Macon County, North Carolina · EIA plant ID 2747 · Operator: Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC
Nameplate43MWSummer 45 MW
Generators1in service
Net generation188GWh12 mo to Dec 2025
Capacity factor48%hydro units, summer MW
Heat rate—thermal plants only
First online1942
Monthly net generation
EIA-923, all units at the plant. Net of station use; storage can go negative.
FinalPreliminary
Capacity factor by year
Net MWh ÷ (summer MW × hours), hydro units. Each year uses that year's EIA-860 ratings; the hollow dot is the latest 12 months.
Heat rate by year
Electric fuel MMBtu × 1000 ÷ net MWh (Btu/kWh, HHV), fossil units only; CT + CA counted as one combined-cycle block.
Heat rate applies to fuel-burning (thermal) units only.
Annual data table
| Year | Net GWh | Capacity factor | Heat rate (Btu/kWh) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 153 | 40.4% | — |
| 2002 | 175.6 | 46.4% | — |
| 2003 | 258.8 | 68.4% | — |
| 2004 | 254.1 | 67.0% | — |
| 2005 | 239.1 | 63.2% | — |
| 2006 | 173.2 | 39.6% | — |
| 2007 | 37.6 | 8.6% | — |
| 2008 | 157.5 | 35.9% | — |
| 2009 | 205.7 | 47.0% | — |
| 2010 | 203 | 46.4% | — |
| 2011 | 179.8 | 41.0% | — |
| 2012 | 206.7 | 47.1% | — |
| 2013 | 287.6 | 65.7% | — |
| 2014 | 191.8 | 43.8% | — |
| 2015 | 219.3 | 50.1% | — |
| 2016 | 150.4 | 34.2% | — |
| 2017 | 186.5 | 42.6% | — |
| 2018 | 270.1 | 61.7% | — |
| 2019 | 236.2 | 53.9% | — |
| 2020 | 281.2 | 64.0% | — |
| 2021 | 213.4 | 54.1% | — |
| 2022 | 191.4 | 48.6% | — |
| 2023 | 186.1 | 47.2% | — |
| 2024 | 182.7 | 46.2% | — |
| 2025 | 188.4 | 47.8% | — |
Generators
EIA-860 (annual) with EIA-860M updates through Sep 2026. EIA-923 reports generation by plant, prime mover and fuel, not by unit, so unit-level output isn't shown.
| Gen ID | Technology | Prime mover | Nameplate MW | Summer MW | Online | Status | Planned retirement | OEM / model |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Conventional Hydroelectric | HY | 43.2 | 45 | Jul 1942 | Operating | — | coming soon |
Owner / operator
Operator: Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC. Ownership shares by in-service nameplate MW (EIA-860 Schedule 4; units not listed there are wholly owned by the operator).
| Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC | 100.0% | 43 MW |
Nearby plants
Within 80 km.
| Queens Creek | 1 MW | 0 km |
| Fontana Dam | 255 MW | 23.1 km |
| Santeetlah | 45 MW | 25.9 km |
| Franklin (NC) | 1 MW | 28.3 km |
| Chatuge | 13 MW | 30 km |
| Cheoah | 140 MW | 30.8 km |