Watts Bar Hydro
Hydro power plant in Rhea County, Tennessee. 174.6 MW of nameplate capacity across 5 generators, operated by Tennessee Valley Authority.
Also known as Watts Bar Dam Powerhouse · EIA plant 3420
Analyst: free account, 1 question a day.
Key facts
- Capacity
- 174.6 MWNameplate
- Generators
- 5 operatingEIA-860M, August 2026
- Operating since
- March 1942First generator online
- Operator
- Tennessee Valley AuthorityEIA operator ID 18642
- Grid
- TVABalancing authority TVA
- Price nodes
- None linkedNo verified ISO node
- Location
- Rhea County, TN35.6197, −84.7855
- EIA plant ID
- 3420EIA plant page
Data as of EIA-860M August 2026 (published 2026-09-24). Capacity is nameplate, not live output.
How much power Watts Bar Hydro produces
Free · EIA-923Net generation, 2025
865 GWh
865,430 MWh, final
Capacity factor, 2025
56.6%
2024: 58.4%
January to July 2026
Not reported
Provisional. 0 of 7 months reported
Range, 2015 to 2025
0.7–1.5
TWh a year. Low 2016, high 2020
| Year | Net generation, MWh | Capacity factor | Months reported |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 591,452 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2001 | 606,116 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2002 | 457,643 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2003 | 815,207 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2004 | 1,023,999 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2005 | 906,469 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2006 | 762,987 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2007 | 494,049 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2008 | 535,167 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2009 | 961,579 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2010 | 775,659 | 50.7% | 12 of 12 |
| 2011 | 997,586 | 65.2% | 12 of 12 |
| 2012 | 850,596 | 55.5% | 12 of 12 |
| 2013 | 1,224,851 | 80.1% | 12 of 12 |
| 2014 | 841,865 | 55.0% | 12 of 12 |
| 2015 | 974,303 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2016 | 705,840 | 46.0% | 12 of 12 |
| 2017 | 890,182 | 58.2% | 12 of 12 |
| 2018 | 1,085,928 | 71.0% | 12 of 12 |
| 2019 | 1,132,634 | 74.1% | 12 of 12 |
| 2020 | 1,527,600 | 99.6% | 12 of 12 |
| 2021 | 1,055,629 | 69.0% | 12 of 12 |
| 2022 | 897,715 | 58.7% | 12 of 12 |
| 2023 | 812,422 | 53.1% | 12 of 12 |
| 2024 | 895,606 | 58.4% | 12 of 12 |
| 2025 | 865,430 | 56.6% | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| HY1 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 41.0 | July 1942 |
| HY2 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 33.4 | April 1942 |
| HY3 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 33.4 | March 1942 |
| HY4 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 33.4 | April 1944 |
| HY5 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 33.4 | March 1944 |
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.
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Power plants near Watts Bar Hydro
More plants operated by Tennessee Valley Authority
Questions about Watts Bar Hydro
How much power does Watts Bar Hydro produce?
Watts Bar Hydro reported 865,430 MWh (865 GWh) of net generation in 2025, a 56.6% capacity factor on 174.6 MW of nameplate capacity.
Where is Watts Bar Hydro?
Watts Bar Hydro is in Rhea County, Tennessee, at 35.6197, −84.7855. It is in the Tennessee Valley Authority balancing area (TVA).
Who operates Watts Bar Hydro?
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 Watts Bar Hydro start operating?
Its first generator began operating in March 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