Cherokee Dam
Hydro power plant in Jefferson County, Tennessee. 135 MW of nameplate capacity across 4 generators, operated by Tennessee Valley Authority.
Also known as Cherokee Dam Powerhouse · EIA plant 3397
Analyst: free account, 1 question a day.
Key facts
- Capacity
- 135 MWNameplate
- Generators
- 4 operatingEIA-860M, August 2026
- Operating since
- April 1942First generator online
- Operator
- Tennessee Valley AuthorityEIA operator ID 18642
- Grid
- TVABalancing authority TVA
- Price nodes
- None linkedNo verified ISO node
- Location
- Jefferson County, TN36.1682, −83.4977
- EIA plant ID
- 3397EIA plant page
Data as of EIA-860M August 2026 (published 2026-09-24). Capacity is nameplate, not live output.
How much power Cherokee Dam produces
Free · EIA-923Net generation, 2025
315 GWh
315,280 MWh, final
Capacity factor, 2025
26.7%
2024: 28.8%
January to July 2026
Not reported
Provisional. 0 of 7 months reported
Range, 2015 to 2025
265.1–623.9
GWh a year. Low 2016, high 2020
| Year | Net generation, MWh | Capacity factor | Months reported |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 170,068 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2001 | 217,419 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2002 | 259,554 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2003 | 546,762 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2004 | 394,534 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2005 | 296,024 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2006 | 261,446 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2007 | 158,230 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2008 | 153,428 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2009 | 375,408 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2010 | 283,637 | 24.0% | 12 of 12 |
| 2011 | 409,115 | 34.6% | 12 of 12 |
| 2012 | 313,286 | 26.4% | 12 of 12 |
| 2013 | 551,922 | 46.7% | 12 of 12 |
| 2014 | 277,652 | 23.5% | 12 of 12 |
| 2015 | 371,991 | 31.5% | 12 of 12 |
| 2016 | 265,132 | 22.4% | 12 of 12 |
| 2017 | 347,507 | 29.4% | 12 of 12 |
| 2018 | 421,274 | 35.6% | 12 of 12 |
| 2019 | 425,133 | 35.9% | 12 of 12 |
| 2020 | 623,854 | 52.6% | 12 of 12 |
| 2021 | 385,810 | 32.6% | 12 of 12 |
| 2022 | 336,254 | 28.4% | 12 of 12 |
| 2023 | 301,344 | 25.5% | 12 of 12 |
| 2024 | 341,397 | 28.8% | 12 of 12 |
| 2025 | 315,280 | 26.7% | 12 of 12 |
| 2026 (provisional, partial year) | Not reported | Not reported | 0 of 7 |
* 2026 covers January to July and is provisional. Capacity factor is net generation divided by nameplate capacity times the hours of each reported month.
Power prices and basis
Free accountNo verified ISO price node is linked to this plant, or its price history could not load.
Emissions
Free · EPA CAMPDNo EPA emissions units are linked to this plant.
Water use
Free · EIA-923 cooling, USGSNo EIA cooling-water record for this plant in 2024. Plants without steam cooling, such as wind, solar and batteries, do not report cooling water.
Generators
Free · EIA-860M| Generator | Technology | Nameplate MW | Online since |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 33.4 | April 1942 |
| 2 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 34.6 | January 1953 |
| 3 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 34.6 | June 1942 |
| 4 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 32.4 | October 1953 |
Ownership and offtake
ProOwnership and offtake are part of Pro
Owners and their shares, parent companies, and power purchase agreements with their buyers. EIA-860M lists Tennessee Valley Authority as the operator, which is not always the owner.
Modeled data
ProPro adds modeled values for this plant. Everything above stays free.
300 analyst questions a month, plus MCP
Query Cherokee Dam and 14,224 other projects from Claude or your own tools. Free accounts get 1 question a day.
Power plants near Cherokee Dam
More plants operated by Tennessee Valley Authority
Questions about Cherokee Dam
How much power does Cherokee Dam produce?
Cherokee Dam reported 315,280 MWh (315 GWh) of net generation in 2025, a 26.7% capacity factor on 135 MW of nameplate capacity.
Where is Cherokee Dam?
Cherokee Dam is in Jefferson County, Tennessee, at 36.1682, −83.4977. It is in the Tennessee Valley Authority balancing area (TVA).
Who operates Cherokee Dam?
EIA-860M for August 2026 lists Tennessee Valley Authority as the operator (EIA operator ID 18642). The operator is not always the owner.
When did Cherokee Dam start operating?
Its first generator began operating in April 1942, according to EIA-860M.
Sources
- EIA-860 2025 (final) and EIA-860M August 2026: plant, generators, capacity, operator and location
- EIA-923 monthly net generation, 2000 to July 2026 (2026 provisional)
- Plant names from OpenStreetMap, © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)
Page updated 2026-10-04 from the InfraMap data build. Methodology · Data sources · EIA plant page