Watts Bar Nuclear Plant
Nuclear power plant in Rhea County, Tennessee. 2,539.8 MW of nameplate capacity across 2 generators, operated by Tennessee Valley Authority.
Also known as Watts Bar Nuclear Power Plant · EIA plant 7722
Analyst: free account, 1 question a day.
Key facts
- Capacity
- 2,539.8 MWNameplate
- Generators
- 2 operatingEIA-860M, August 2026
- Operating since
- May 1996First generator online
- Operator
- Tennessee Valley AuthorityEIA operator ID 18642
- Grid
- TVABalancing authority TVA
- Price nodes
- None linkedNo verified ISO node
- Location
- Rhea County, TN35.6021, −84.7895
- EIA plant ID
- 7722EIA plant page
Data as of EIA-860M August 2026 (published 2026-09-24). Capacity is nameplate, not live output.
How much power Watts Bar Nuclear Plant produces
Free · EIA-923Net generation, 2025
16.3 TWh
16,273,295 MWh, final
Capacity factor, 2025
73.1%
2024: 84.1%
January to July 2026
11.1 TWh
Provisional
Range, 2015 to 2025
8.4–18.8
TWh a year. Low 2015, high 2024
| Year | Net generation, MWh | Capacity factor | Months reported |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 9,050,235 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2001 | 9,626,575 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2002 | 9,078,353 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2003 | 8,548,811 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2004 | 9,856,903 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2005 | 8,803,955 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2006 | 6,678,098 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2007 | 10,049,686 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2008 | 8,112,309 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2009 | 9,207,465 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2010 | 9,738,457 | 87.5% | 12 of 12 |
| 2011 | 8,230,984 | 74.0% | 12 of 12 |
| 2012 | 8,516,471 | 76.3% | 12 of 12 |
| 2013 | 9,967,803 | 89.6% | 12 of 12 |
| 2014 | 8,777,615 | 78.9% | 12 of 12 |
| 2015 | 8,449,150 | 76.0% | 12 of 12 |
| 2016 | 8,346,251 | Not reported | 7 of 12 |
| 2017 | 13,576,203 | 61.0% | 12 of 12 |
| 2018 | 18,472,633 | 83.0% | 12 of 12 |
| 2019 | 17,655,786 | 79.4% | 12 of 12 |
| 2020 | 17,589,006 | 78.8% | 12 of 12 |
| 2021 | 17,675,595 | 79.4% | 12 of 12 |
| 2022 | 16,808,101 | 75.5% | 12 of 12 |
| 2023 | 18,709,841 | 84.1% | 12 of 12 |
| 2024 | 18,758,683 | 84.1% | 12 of 12 |
| 2025 | 16,273,295 | 73.1% | 12 of 12 |
| 2026 (provisional, partial year) | 11,135,035 | 86.2% | 7 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, USGSWithdrawal, 2024
44,212
million gallons
Consumption, 2024
3,242
million gallons
Source
Chickamauga Lake
Surface, Fresh. Natural-draft tower
Watershed stress
Very low/none · 0.129
USGS SUI, HUC12 Clear Creek-Tennessee River
12 of 12 cooling months report withdrawal. SUI of the HUC12 containing the plant. Blank volumes are unreported, not zero.
Generators
Free · EIA-860M| Generator | Technology | Nameplate MW | Online since |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nuclear | 1,269.9 | May 1996 |
| 2 | Nuclear | 1,269.9 | June 2016 |
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.
Generation potential vs reported
Monthly potential at seasonal net capability, next to EIA-923 output. Shows how much of the plant's capability was used.
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Power plants near Watts Bar Nuclear Plant
More plants operated by Tennessee Valley Authority
Questions about Watts Bar Nuclear Plant
How much power does Watts Bar Nuclear Plant produce?
Watts Bar Nuclear Plant reported 16,273,295 MWh (16.3 TWh) of net generation in 2025, a 73.1% capacity factor on 2,539.8 MW of nameplate capacity. From January to July 2026 it reported 11.1 TWh, which is provisional.
Where is Watts Bar Nuclear Plant?
Watts Bar Nuclear Plant is in Rhea County, Tennessee, at 35.6021, −84.7895. It is in the Tennessee Valley Authority balancing area (TVA).
Who operates Watts Bar Nuclear Plant?
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 Nuclear Plant start operating?
Its first generator began operating in May 1996, 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)
- EIA-923 cooling water 2024 and the USGS surface water supply and use index, Water years 2010-2020 (Oct 2009 to Sep 2020), mean of monthly values
- Plant names from OpenStreetMap, © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)
Page updated 2026-10-04 from the InfraMap data build. Methodology · Data sources · EIA plant page