SMITH MOUNTAIN
OperatingHydro power plant
- Capacity
- 548 MW
- Primary fuel
- Hydro
- County
- Pittsylvania County
- Operator
- APPALACHIAN POWER CO
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 1965
- EIA plant ID
- 3780
- Generators
- 5
- Technology
- Conventional Hydroelectric
- Net generation (2024)
- -101 GWh
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 37.0413, -79.5356
SMITH MOUNTAIN, a 548 MW Hydro power plant in Pittsylvania County, Virginia. Operated by APPALACHIAN POWER CO, commissioned 1965.
How SMITH MOUNTAIN compares
With 548 MW of capacity, SMITH MOUNTAIN ranks 13th among the 103 operating power plants Bywatts maps in Virginia and 2nd of the 24 operating Hydro plants in the state. It accounts for about 14% of Virginia's operating Hydro capacity and 2.8% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 41st-largest of the 1,243 operating Hydro plants in the database. Commissioned in 1965, it is older than 76% of the 101 operating Virginia plants with a recorded commissioning year. Its operator, APPALACHIAN POWER CO, runs 8 operating plants in Virginia totaling 1,431 MW. It shares Pittsylvania County with 3 other operating plants, including LEESVILLE and SCHOOLFIELD DAM.
EIA-860 lists 5 generators at the site with 548 MW of nameplate capacity, mainly conventional hydroelectric technology. The plant was a net consumer of electricity in 2024 (-101 GWh), which is typical of pumped storage. Its generators came online between 1965 and 1980.
Grid neighborhood
The nearest named substation is SMITH MOUNTAIN (138 kV), about 0.2 miles away; the closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 138 kV line, under 0.1 miles away. Another 3 operating power plants totaling 115 MW sit within 25 miles; the largest is ALTAVISTA POWER STATION (71 MW, Coal).
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
SMITH MOUNTAIN is a 548 MW hydro power plant in Pittsylvania County, VA, operated by APPALACHIAN POWER CO, commissioned in 1965. Pittsylvania County carries low modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 1.6 of 5 at the 15th national percentile. Hurricane is the leading peril, rated Relatively Low by FEMA at the 70th 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.
Pittsylvania County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hurricane | Relatively Low | 70th | 3.8 of 5 | 0.08 |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | 62nd | 3.5 of 5 | 44.0 |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | 48th | 2.9 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Ice storm | Relatively Moderate | 40th | 2.6 of 5 | 1.8 |
| Riverine flooding | Relatively Moderate | 39th | 2.6 of 5 | 2.3 |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 37th | 2.5 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Strong wind | Relatively Low | 35th | 2.4 of 5 | 3.0 |
| Hail | Relatively Low | 26th | 2.1 of 5 | 4.3 |
| Tornado | Relatively Low | 25th | 2.0 of 5 | 0.26 |
| Winter weather | Relatively Moderate | 17th | 1.7 of 5 | 6.8 |
| Heat wave | Relatively Low | 16th | 1.7 of 5 | 2.2 |
Perils not assessed in Pittsylvania 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 Pittsylvania 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.