CHEOAH

How CHEOAH compares

With 113 MW of capacity, CHEOAH ranks 29th among the 205 operating power plants Bywatts maps in North Carolina and 5th of the 36 operating Hydro plants in the state. It accounts for about 5.8% of North Carolina's operating Hydro capacity and 0.4% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 159th-largest of the 1,243 operating Hydro plants in the database. Commissioned in 1949, it is older than 87% of the 183 operating North Carolina plants with a recorded commissioning year. Its operator, BROOKFIELD RENEWABLE POWER, runs 2 operating plants in North Carolina totaling 158 MW. It shares Graham County with one other operating plant, SANTEETLAH.

EIA-860 lists 5 generators at the site with 140 MW of nameplate capacity, all conventional hydroelectric technology (this page's HIFLD capacity figure is 113 MW). Net generation was 485 GWh in 2024 (a 39% capacity factor), down 8% from 2022. Its generators came online between 1949 and 2013.

Grid neighborhood

The nearest named substation is CHILHOWEE, about 12.1 miles away; the closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 161 kV line owned by DUKE ENERGY CAROLINAS, LLC, under 0.1 miles away. Another 7 operating power plants totaling 716 MW sit within 25 miles; the largest is FONTANA DAM (255 MW, Hydro). Within 50 miles is one mapped data center, Peace Communications KNX1 in Knoxville, about 35.8 miles away.

Computed by Bywatts from HIFLD power plant, substation and transmission line records, EIA-860/923 survey data and PeeringDB data center locations; distances are straight-line. Sources and methodology