CARMEN SMITH
OperatingHydro power plant
- Capacity
- 114 MW
- Primary fuel
- Hydro
- County
- Linn County
- Operator
- EUGENE WATER & ELECTRIC BOARD
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 1963
- EIA plant ID
- 3067
- Generators
- 3
- Technology
- Conventional Hydroelectric
- Net generation (2024)
- 223 GWh
- Capacity factor (2024, EIA nameplate)
- 22%
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 44.2860, -122.0412
CARMEN SMITH, a 114 MW Hydro power plant in Linn County, Oregon. Operated by EUGENE WATER & ELECTRIC BOARD, commissioned 1963.
How CARMEN SMITH compares
With 114 MW of capacity, CARMEN SMITH ranks 23rd among the 130 operating power plants Bywatts maps in Oregon and 9th of the 58 operating Hydro plants in the state. It accounts for about 1.4% of Oregon's operating Hydro capacity and 0.8% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 157th-largest of the 1,243 operating Hydro plants in the database. Commissioned in 1963, it is older than 71% of the 128 operating Oregon plants with a recorded commissioning year. Its operator, EUGENE WATER & ELECTRIC BOARD, runs 3 operating plants in Oregon totaling 134 MW. It shares Linn County with 5 other operating plants, including GREEN PETER and EVERGREEN BIOPOWER LLC.
EIA-860 lists 3 generators at the site with 114 MW of nameplate capacity, all conventional hydroelectric technology. Net generation was 223 GWh in 2024 (a 22% capacity factor), up 9% from 2022.
Grid neighborhood
The nearest named substation is COUGAR (115 kV), about 14.7 miles away; the closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 115 kV line owned by CITY OF EUGENE - (OR), under 0.1 miles away. Another 2 operating power plants totaling 30 MW sit within 25 miles; the largest is COUGAR (26 MW, Hydro).
Computed by Bywatts from HIFLD power plant, substation and transmission line records and EIA-860/923 survey data; distances are straight-line. Sources and methodology
Weather peril exposure
CARMEN SMITH is a 114 MW hydro power plant in Linn County, OR, operated by EUGENE WATER & ELECTRIC BOARD, commissioned in 1963. Linn County carries low modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 1.4 of 5 at the 9th national percentile. Earthquake is the leading peril, rated Relatively Moderate 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.
Linn County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Earthquake | Relatively Moderate | 96th | 4.9 of 5 | 0.02 |
| Strong wind | Relatively High | 77th | 4.1 of 5 | 0.05 |
| Heat wave | Relatively Moderate | 67th | 3.7 of 5 | 5.1 |
| Riverine flooding | Relatively Moderate | 65th | 3.6 of 5 | 0.25 |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 41st | 2.7 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Ice storm | Relatively Low | 26th | 2.0 of 5 | 0.39 |
| Hail | Very Low | 16th | 1.6 of 5 | 0.23 |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | 9th | 1.4 of 5 | 7.4 |
| Tornado | Very Low | 8th | 1.3 of 5 | 0.13 |
| Winter weather | Relatively Moderate | 6th | 1.2 of 5 | 23.0 |
Perils not assessed in Linn 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 |
|---|---|
| Hurricane | FEMA rating is "Not Applicable" for this county |
| Coastal flooding | FEMA rating is "Not Applicable" for this county |
Model hail, wind and flood exposure for Linn 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.