Data last collected:
PowerPlantFactsEvidence report · prepared 19 October 2026https://powerplantfacts.com/entity/3420
EIA plant 3420
Spring City · Rhea · TN
Watts Bar Hydro
Operated by Tennessee Valley Authority
Published location
Where is Watts Bar Hydro?
This locator uses the coordinates in the approved source record. It shows geographic context, not a site boundary, safety zone or property-risk area.
35.619673, -84.785527
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Capacity is not generation. Nameplate MW describes equipment; annual MWh describes recorded output. Proposed and retired units are not added to operating capacity.
Equipment mix
Operating capacity by technology
Grouped from this plant’s represented generator records. Use the TN plant index for regional peers.
See the evidence
Electricity output across the year
Monthly net generation shows the seasonal shape of this plant's represented output. A negative value is retained when the source reports net consumption.
1109,527
2125,731
388,688
423,025
578,287
652,390
745,802
873,861
954,294
1094,930
1169,683
1279,388
MWh net generation · 2024 final edition · EIA 923 represented operating rows. 12 of 12 supplied rows shown; 0 missing values omitted. Months with no reported numeric value are omitted, not treated as zero.
Read the chart as a table
| Record | MWh net generation |
|---|---|
| 1 | 109,527 |
| 2 | 125,731 |
| 3 | 88,688 |
| 4 | 23,025 |
| 5 | 78,287 |
| 6 | 52,390 |
| 7 | 45,802 |
| 8 | 73,861 |
| 9 | 54,294 |
| 10 | 94,930 |
| 11 | 69,683 |
| 12 | 79,388 |
2024 monthly net generation
| Month | Net generation |
|---|---|
| 1 | 109,527 MWh |
| 2 | 125,731 MWh |
| 3 | 88,688 MWh |
| 4 | 23,025 MWh |
| 5 | 78,287 MWh |
| 6 | 52,390 MWh |
| 7 | 45,802 MWh |
| 8 | 73,861 MWh |
| 9 | 54,294 MWh |
| 10 | 94,930 MWh |
| 11 | 69,683 MWh |
| 12 | 79,388 MWh |
Operating generators
| ID | Technology | Fuel | MW | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HY1 | Conventional Hydroelectric | WAT | 41 | OP |
| HY2 | Conventional Hydroelectric | WAT | 33.4 | OP |
| HY3 | Conventional Hydroelectric | WAT | 33.4 | OP |
| HY4 | Conventional Hydroelectric | WAT | 33.4 | OP |
| HY5 | Conventional Hydroelectric | WAT | 33.4 | OP |
Continue exploring
Similar-capacity plants in the same state
Identity, technology and limitations
EIA plant ID
3420
Sector
Electric Utility
Water source
Tennessee River
Data edition
2024-final
Use this record
Questions this evidence can answer
01What exactly is this record?
Use the name, place, date and identifiers above to confirm that you have the right Watts Bar Hydro power plant: capacity and generation | PowerPlantFacts record.
02What does the evidence establish?
Read the reported values with their units, coverage dates and source notes. Keep observed facts separate from estimates or interpretation.
03What should I verify next?
Follow the primary-source links and check the limitations before using this evidence for a decision, comparison or citation.
A closer look at Watts Bar Hydro
Variation in the published months
Across 12 numeric monthly generation entries, 2 has the highest recorded value (125,731 MWh) and 4 the lowest (23,025 MWh). Their difference is 102,706 MWh. Missing months have not been treated as zero.
Reading the MW column
In the 5 numeric rows displayed in this table, MW ranges from 33.4 (HY2, HY3, HY4) to 41 (HY1). The difference is 7.6 in the column's stated units. This summary covers the displayed rows and retains the table's period and scope.
Generator capacity in different operating conditions
| Generator ID | Technology | Nameplate MW | Summer MW | Winter MW | Minimum load MW |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HY1 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 41.0 | 39.3 | 36.9 | 16.0 |
| HY2 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 33.4 | 39.3 | 36.9 | 16.0 |
| HY3 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 33.4 | 39.3 | 36.9 | 16.0 |
| HY4 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 33.4 | 39.2 | 36.7 | 30.0 |
| HY5 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 33.4 | 39.3 | 36.9 | 16.0 |
EIA-860 2024 final source. Ratings describe capacity, not actual generation or availability. Missing ratings are not zero.
Source: US Energy Information Administration Form EIA-860 2024 plant and operable-generator workbooks; archive 2024. US EIA-authored information is generally public domain; cite EIA, preserve third-party exceptions, changes and no-endorsement context. Source-specific derived data.