APALACHIA
OperatingHydro power plant
- Capacity
- 94 MW
- Primary fuel
- Hydro
- County
- Polk County
- Operator
- TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 1943
- EIA plant ID
- 3394
- Generators
- 2
- Technology
- Conventional Hydroelectric
- Net generation (2024)
- 402 GWh
- Capacity factor (2024, EIA nameplate)
- 49%
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 35.1830, -84.4381
APALACHIA, a 94 MW Hydro power plant in Polk County, Tennessee. Operated by TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY, commissioned 1943.
How APALACHIA compares
With 94 MW of capacity, APALACHIA ranks 26th among the 53 operating power plants Bywatts maps in Tennessee and 15th of the 29 operating Hydro plants in the state. It accounts for about 2.2% of Tennessee's operating Hydro capacity and 0.5% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 190th-largest of the 1,243 operating Hydro plants in the database. Commissioned in 1943, it is older than 71% of the 53 operating Tennessee plants with a recorded commissioning year. Its operator, TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY, runs 32 operating plants in Tennessee totaling 19,142 MW. It shares Polk County with 3 other operating plants, including OCOEE 3 and OCOEE 2.
EIA-860 lists 2 generators at the site with 94 MW of nameplate capacity, all conventional hydroelectric technology. Net generation was 402 GWh in 2024 (a 49% capacity factor), down 6% from 2022.
Grid neighborhood
The nearest named substation is APALACHIA (161 kV), about 0.1 miles away; the closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 161 kV line owned by TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY, under 0.1 miles away. Another 7 operating power plants totaling 262 MW sit within 25 miles; the largest is HIWASSEE DAM (166 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
APALACHIA is a 94 MW hydro power plant in Polk County, TN, operated by TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY, commissioned in 1943. Polk County carries moderate modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 2.5 of 5 at the 38th national percentile. Lightning is the leading peril, rated Relatively Low by FEMA at the 86th 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.
Polk County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lightning | Relatively Low | 86th | 4.4 of 5 | 60.8 |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | 86th | 4.4 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Riverine flooding | Relatively Low | 82nd | 4.3 of 5 | 0.43 |
| Wildfire | Relatively Low | 80th | 4.2 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Tornado | Relatively Low | 67th | 3.7 of 5 | 0.22 |
| Winter weather | Very Low | 59th | 3.4 of 5 | 4.7 |
| Strong wind | Relatively Moderate | 58th | 3.3 of 5 | 3.9 |
| Ice storm | Relatively Low | 53rd | 3.1 of 5 | 0.60 |
| Hurricane | Very Low | 48th | 2.9 of 5 | 0.03 |
| Hail | Very Low | 46th | 2.8 of 5 | 3.9 |
| Heat wave | Very Low | 12th | 1.5 of 5 | 0.91 |
Perils not assessed in Polk 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 Polk 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.