GREAT LAKES HYDRO AMERICA - ME
OperatingHydro power plant
- Capacity
- 138 MW
- Primary fuel
- Hydro
- County
- Penobscot County
- Operator
- GREAT LAKES HYDRO AMERICA LLC
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 1917
- EIA plant ID
- 54134
- Generators
- 33
- Technology
- Conventional Hydroelectric
- Net generation (2024)
- 571 GWh
- Capacity factor (2024, EIA nameplate)
- 41%
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 45.6472, -68.7044
GREAT LAKES HYDRO AMERICA - ME, a 138 MW Hydro power plant in Penobscot County, Maine. Operated by GREAT LAKES HYDRO AMERICA LLC, commissioned 1917.
How GREAT LAKES HYDRO AMERICA - ME compares
With 138 MW of capacity, GREAT LAKES HYDRO AMERICA - ME ranks 7th among the 83 operating power plants Bywatts maps in Maine and is the largest of the 44 operating Hydro plants in the state. It accounts for about 22% of Maine's operating Hydro capacity and 3.2% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 131st-largest of the 1,243 operating Hydro plants in the database. Commissioned in 1917, it is older than 86% of the 81 operating Maine plants with a recorded commissioning year. It shares Penobscot County with 13 other operating plants, including MAINE INDEPENDENCE STATION and ROLLINS WIND PROJECT.
EIA-860 lists 33 generators at the site with 158 MW of nameplate capacity, mainly conventional hydroelectric technology (this page's HIFLD capacity figure is 138 MW). Net generation was 571 GWh in 2024 (a 41% capacity factor), up 6% from 2022. Its generators came online between 1917 and 2020.
Grid neighborhood
The closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 115 kV line, about 6.4 miles away. One other operating power plant sits within 25 miles: MEDWAY HYDRO (3 MW, Hydro).
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
GREAT LAKES HYDRO AMERICA - ME is a 138 MW hydro power plant in Penobscot County, ME, operated by GREAT LAKES HYDRO AMERICA LLC, commissioned in 1917. Penobscot County carries moderate modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 2.1 of 5 at the 28th national percentile. Winter weather is the leading peril, rated Very High by FEMA at the 95th 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.
Penobscot County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter weather | Very High | 95th | 4.8 of 5 | 25.8 |
| Ice storm | Very High | 90th | 4.6 of 5 | 0.55 |
| Hurricane | Relatively Moderate | 80th | 4.2 of 5 | 0.07 |
| Coastal flooding | Very Low | 66th | 3.6 of 5 | 10.6 |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | 59th | 3.4 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Lightning | Relatively High | 53rd | 3.1 of 5 | 15.7 |
| Riverine flooding | Relatively Moderate | 34th | 2.3 of 5 | 2.0 |
| Hail | Relatively Low | 27th | 2.1 of 5 | 0.45 |
| Tornado | Relatively Low | 10th | 1.4 of 5 | 0.11 |
| Heat wave | Very Low | 3rd | 1.1 of 5 | 1.1 |
| Strong wind | Relatively Moderate | 2nd | 1.1 of 5 | 0.90 |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 1st | 1.1 of 5 | <0.01 |
Model hail, wind and flood exposure for Penobscot 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.