DARDANELLE
OperatingHydro power plant
- Capacity
- 161 MW
- Primary fuel
- Hydro
- County
- Pope County
- Operator
- USCE-LITTLE ROCK DISTRICT
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 1965
- EIA plant ID
- 199
- Generators
- 4
- Technology
- Conventional Hydroelectric
- Net generation (2024)
- 517 GWh
- Capacity factor (2024, EIA nameplate)
- 37%
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 35.2475, -93.1725
DARDANELLE, a 161 MW Hydro power plant in Pope County, Arkansas. Operated by USCE-LITTLE ROCK DISTRICT, commissioned 1965.
How DARDANELLE compares
With 161 MW of capacity, DARDANELLE ranks 18th among the 48 operating power plants Bywatts maps in Arkansas and 2nd of the 19 operating Hydro plants in the state. It accounts for about 12% of Arkansas's operating Hydro capacity and 1.0% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 113th-largest of the 1,243 operating Hydro plants in the database. Commissioned in 1965, it is older than 75% of the 48 operating Arkansas plants with a recorded commissioning year. Its operator, USCE-LITTLE ROCK DISTRICT, runs 6 operating plants in Arkansas totaling 889 MW. It shares Pope County with one other operating plant, ARKANSAS NUCLEAR ONE.
EIA-860 lists 4 generators at the site with 161 MW of nameplate capacity, all conventional hydroelectric technology. Net generation was 517 GWh in 2024 (a 37% capacity factor), up 31% from 2022. Its generators came online between 1965 and 1966.
Grid neighborhood
The closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 161 kV line owned by ENTERGY ARKANSAS INC, under 0.1 miles away. Another 2 operating power plants totaling 1,877 MW sit within 25 miles; the largest is ARKANSAS NUCLEAR ONE (1,845 MW, Nuclear).
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
DARDANELLE is a 161 MW hydro power plant in Pope County, AR, operated by USCE-LITTLE ROCK DISTRICT, commissioned in 1965. Pope County carries elevated modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 3.0 of 5 at the 49th national percentile. Ice storm is the leading peril, rated Very High by FEMA at the 96th 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.
Pope County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ice storm | Very High | 96th | 4.8 of 5 | 1.4 |
| Tornado | Relatively High | 90th | 4.6 of 5 | 0.58 |
| Riverine flooding | Relatively Moderate | 88th | 4.5 of 5 | 1.5 |
| Winter weather | Relatively Moderate | 86th | 4.4 of 5 | 6.8 |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | 84th | 4.4 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | 75th | 4.0 of 5 | 60.5 |
| Wildfire | Relatively Low | 70th | 3.8 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Strong wind | Relatively Moderate | 63rd | 3.5 of 5 | 3.5 |
| Heat wave | Relatively Moderate | 60th | 3.4 of 5 | 16.0 |
| Hail | Relatively Low | 48th | 2.9 of 5 | 5.3 |
| Hurricane | Very Low | 32nd | 2.3 of 5 | <0.01 |
Perils not assessed in Pope 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 Pope 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.