LEWIS SMITH DAM
OperatingHydro power plant
- Capacity
- 157 MW
- Primary fuel
- Hydro
- County
- Walker County
- Operator
- ALABAMA POWER CO
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 1961
- EIA plant ID
- 18
- Generators
- 2
- Technology
- Conventional Hydroelectric
- Net generation (2024)
- 219 GWh
- Capacity factor (2024, EIA nameplate)
- 14%
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 33.9406, -87.1080
LEWIS SMITH DAM, a 157 MW Hydro power plant in Walker County, Alabama. Operated by ALABAMA POWER CO, commissioned 1961.
How LEWIS SMITH DAM compares
With 157 MW of capacity, LEWIS SMITH DAM ranks 28th among the 64 operating power plants Bywatts maps in Alabama and 8th of the 23 operating Hydro plants in the state. It accounts for about 4.8% of Alabama's operating Hydro capacity and 0.5% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 118th-largest of the 1,243 operating Hydro plants in the database. Commissioned in 1961, it is older than 73% 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 2 generators at the site with 181 MW of nameplate capacity, all conventional hydroelectric technology (this page's HIFLD capacity figure is 157 MW). Net generation was 219 GWh in 2024 (a 14% capacity factor), down 33% from 2022. Its generators came online between 1961 and 1962.
Grid neighborhood
The closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 161 kV line owned by ALABAMA POWER CO, under 0.1 miles away. One other operating power plant sits within 25 miles: JAMES H MILLER JR (2,822 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
LEWIS SMITH DAM is a 157 MW hydro power plant in Walker County, AL, operated by ALABAMA POWER CO, commissioned in 1961. Walker County carries moderate modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 2.2 of 5 at the 29th national percentile. Tornado is the leading peril, rated Relatively High by FEMA at the 99th 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.
Walker County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tornado | Relatively High | 99th | 5.0 of 5 | 0.91 |
| Riverine flooding | Relatively Moderate | 89th | 4.6 of 5 | 1.1 |
| Lightning | Relatively High | 88th | 4.5 of 5 | 67.8 |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | 80th | 4.2 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 55th | 3.2 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Hurricane | Very Low | 45th | 2.8 of 5 | 0.04 |
| Heat wave | Relatively Moderate | 42nd | 2.7 of 5 | 8.7 |
| Ice storm | Relatively Low | 38th | 2.5 of 5 | 0.46 |
| Hail | Relatively Low | 28th | 2.1 of 5 | 4.4 |
| Strong wind | Relatively Moderate | 25th | 2.0 of 5 | 3.8 |
| Winter weather | Relatively Moderate | 14th | 1.6 of 5 | 3.1 |
Perils not assessed in Walker 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 Walker 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.