Hiwassee Dam
Cherokee County, North Carolina · EIA plant ID 2780 · Operator: Tennessee Valley Authority
Nameplate166MWSummer 174 MW
Generators2in service
Net generation176GWh12 mo to Aug 2026
Capacity factor23%hydro units, summer MW
Heat rate—thermal plants only
First online1940
The 12-month figures include preliminary EIA-923 months, which EIA revises. Final data runs through Dec 2025.
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 | 137.9 | 23.9% | — |
| 2002 | 205.7 | 31.3% | — |
| 2003 | 319 | 27.2% | — |
| 2004 | 226 | 19.8% | — |
| 2005 | 290.3 | 19.3% | — |
| 2006 | 204.6 | 9.5% | — |
| 2007 | 142.3 | 0.7% | — |
| 2008 | 90 | 27.4% | — |
| 2009 | 281.7 | 31.1% | — |
| 2010 | 251.2 | 32.7% | — |
| 2011 | 223.3 | 29.1% | — |
| 2012 | 189.5 | 24.6% | — |
| 2013 | 431 | 56.1% | — |
| 2014 | 251 | 22.5% | — |
| 2015 | 307.7 | 40.0% | — |
| 2016 | 244.6 | 31.8% | — |
| 2017 | 180.2 | 23.4% | — |
| 2018 | 351.8 | 45.8% | — |
| 2019 | 342.2 | 44.5% | — |
| 2020 | 473.4 | 61.5% | — |
| 2021 | 382.4 | 49.8% | — |
| 2022 | 309.8 | 40.3% | — |
| 2023 | 258.7 | 33.7% | — |
| 2024 | 240.9 | 31.3% | — |
| 2025 | 257.4 | 33.5% | — |
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 | 70.6 | 87.7 | May 1940 | Operating | — | coming soon |
| 2 | Hydroelectric Pumped Storage | PS | 95 | 86 | May 1956 | Operating | — | coming soon |
Owner / operator
Operator: Tennessee Valley Authority. Ownership shares by in-service nameplate MW (EIA-860 Schedule 4; units not listed there are wholly owned by the operator).
| Tennessee Valley Authority | 100.0% | 166 MW |
Nearby plants
Within 80 km.
| Apalachia | 94 MW | 10.9 km |
| Murphy Farm Power, LLC | 1 MW | 17 km |
| CS Murphy Point, LLC | 1 MW | 18 km |
| Martins Creek Solar NC, LLC | 1 MW | 20.7 km |
| Nottely | 16 MW | 22.8 km |
| Mission | 2 MW | 24.8 km |