Cheoah
Graham County, North Carolina · EIA plant ID 54899 · Operator: Brookfield Smoky Mountain Hydropower LLC
Nameplate140MWSummer 143 MW
Generators5in service
Net generation472GWh12 mo to Dec 2025
Capacity factor38%hydro units, summer MW
Heat rate—thermal plants only
First online1949
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 | 269.7 | 28.0% | — |
| 2002 | 426.2 | 44.2% | — |
| 2003 | 614.1 | 63.7% | — |
| 2004 | 517.2 | 51.2% | — |
| 2005 | 546.3 | 54.2% | — |
| 2006 | 378.3 | 37.5% | — |
| 2007 | 253.6 | 25.2% | — |
| 2008 | 307.4 | 30.4% | — |
| 2009 | 494 | 49.0% | — |
| 2010 | 424.4 | 42.1% | — |
| 2011 | 319.6 | 31.7% | — |
| 2012 | 258.8 | 31.7% | — |
| 2013 | 673.2 | 59.5% | — |
| 2014 | 468 | 37.4% | — |
| 2015 | 477.7 | 38.1% | — |
| 2016 | 404 | 32.2% | — |
| 2017 | 359.2 | 28.7% | — |
| 2018 | 575.9 | 46.0% | — |
| 2019 | 685.1 | 54.7% | — |
| 2020 | 766.3 | 61.0% | — |
| 2021 | 633.7 | 50.6% | — |
| 2022 | 524.4 | 41.9% | — |
| 2023 | 447.8 | 35.8% | — |
| 2024 | 484.9 | 38.6% | — |
| 2025 | 472.4 | 37.7% | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1A | Conventional Hydroelectric | HY | 27.5 | 28 | Sep 2012 | Operating | — | coming soon |
| 2A | Conventional Hydroelectric | HY | 27.5 | 28 | Aug 2012 | Operating | — | coming soon |
| 3A | Conventional Hydroelectric | HY | 27.5 | 28 | Jul 2013 | Operating | — | coming soon |
| 4A | Conventional Hydroelectric | HY | 27.5 | 28 | Nov 2012 | Operating | — | coming soon |
| 5 | Conventional Hydroelectric | HY | 30 | 31 | Sep 1949 | Operating | — | coming soon |
| 1 | Conventional Hydroelectric | HY | 20 | 21 | Apr 1919 | Retired May 2012 | — | coming soon |
| 2 | Conventional Hydroelectric | HY | 20 | 21 | Apr 1919 | Retired May 2012 | — | coming soon |
| 3 | Conventional Hydroelectric | HY | 20 | 21 | Apr 1919 | Retired May 2012 | — | coming soon |
| 4 | Conventional Hydroelectric | HY | 20 | 21 | Apr 1919 | Retired Oct 2012 | — | coming soon |
Owner / operator
Operator: Brookfield Smoky Mountain Hydropower LLC. Ownership shares by in-service nameplate MW (EIA-860 Schedule 4; units not listed there are wholly owned by the operator).
| Brookfield Smoky Mountain Hydropower LLC | 100.0% | 140 MW |
Nearby plants
Within 80 km.
| Calderwood | 157 MW | 6.3 km |
| Santeetlah | 45 MW | 6.7 km |
| Fontana Dam | 255 MW | 12.1 km |
| Chilhowee | 50 MW | 14.8 km |
| SR Maryville | 1 MW | 27.7 km |
| Nantahala | 43 MW | 30.8 km |