LAY DAM
OperatingHydro power plant
- Capacity
- 177 MW
- Primary fuel
- Hydro
- County
- Chilton County
- Operator
- ALABAMA POWER CO
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 1967
- EIA plant ID
- 15
- Generators
- 6
- Technology
- Conventional Hydroelectric
- Net generation (2024)
- 454 GWh
- Capacity factor (2024, EIA nameplate)
- 29%
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 32.9633, -86.5191
LAY DAM, a 177 MW Hydro power plant in Chilton County, Alabama. Operated by ALABAMA POWER CO, commissioned 1967.
How LAY DAM compares
With 177 MW of capacity, LAY DAM ranks 25th among the 64 operating power plants Bywatts maps in Alabama and 5th of the 23 operating Hydro plants in the state. It accounts for about 5.4% of Alabama's operating Hydro capacity and 0.6% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 99th-largest of the 1,243 operating Hydro plants in the database. Commissioned in 1967, it is older than 57% of the 64 operating Alabama plants with a recorded commissioning year. Its operator, ALABAMA POWER CO, runs 22 operating plants in Alabama totaling 12,989 MW.
EIA-860 lists 6 generators at the site with 177 MW of nameplate capacity, all conventional hydroelectric technology. Net generation was 454 GWh in 2024 (a 29% capacity factor), down 24% from 2022. Its generators came online between 1967 and 1968.
Grid neighborhood
The closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 115 kV line owned by ALABAMA POWER CO, under 0.1 miles away. Another 4 operating power plants totaling 3,242 MW sit within 25 miles; the largest is E C GASTON (2,034 MW, Coal).
Computed by Bywatts from HIFLD power plant and transmission line records and EIA-860/923 survey data; distances are straight-line. Sources and methodology
Weather peril exposure
LAY DAM is a 177 MW hydro power plant in Chilton County, AL, operated by ALABAMA POWER CO, commissioned in 1967. Chilton County carries moderate modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 2.0 of 5 at the 26th national percentile. Tornado is the leading peril, rated Relatively Moderate by FEMA at the 93rd percentile.
The Bywatts loss layer is calibrated to solar PV hardware, so it is not applied to a hydro plant. The ratings below are the FEMA National Risk Index county hazard ratings for this location.
Chilton County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | 93rd | 4.7 of 5 | 0.64 |
| Riverine flooding | Relatively Low | 73rd | 3.9 of 5 | 0.50 |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | 71st | 3.8 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 62nd | 3.5 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Hurricane | Very Low | 56th | 3.2 of 5 | 0.07 |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | 47th | 2.9 of 5 | 69.5 |
| Heat wave | Relatively Low | 41st | 2.6 of 5 | 8.5 |
| Hail | Very Low | 30th | 2.2 of 5 | 3.1 |
| Ice storm | Very Low | 25th | 2.0 of 5 | 0.39 |
| Strong wind | Relatively Low | 24th | 1.9 of 5 | 1.4 |
| Winter weather | Very Low | 12th | 1.5 of 5 | 1.8 |
Perils not assessed in Chilton County
These perils carry no usable National Risk Index figure for this county, so they are excluded from the scoring rather than scored zero. A zero would claim the peril was assessed and found benign.
| Peril | Why it is not scored |
|---|---|
| Coastal flooding | FEMA rating is "Not Applicable" for this county |
Model hail, wind and flood exposure for Chilton County in the weather risk calculator
Ratings are the FEMA National Risk Index county hazard ratings; the peril score is a Bywatts transform of the FEMA national percentile. Full data sources and the solar vulnerability methodology are in the weather risk calculator.
Modeled estimate for screening and negotiation. Built from FEMA National Risk Index county hazard data and a solar vulnerability layer documented above. Not a quote, a binder, or actuarial advice, and not a substitute for a carrier's own model. Hazard data: FEMA National Risk Index December 2025, synced 2026-07-24. Resolution is county level, not site level.