18th largest plant in Virginia · 685th nationally
Smith Mountain is a hydroelectric power plant in Virginia with a nameplate capacity of 548 MW. It generates roughly 176.3k MWh per year — enough to power about 16,787 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 4% reflects intermittent or peaking operation.
| Plant Name | Smith Mountain |
|---|---|
| Operator | Appalachian Power Co |
| City | Penhook |
| County | Pittsylvania County |
| State | Virginia |
| ZIP | 24141 |
| Coordinates | 37.04130, -79.53560 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Conventional Hydroelectric | Water | 150 MW | Operating | 1965 |
| 4 | Conventional Hydroelectric | Water | 150 MW | Operating | 1966 |
| 3 | Hydroelectric Pumped Storage | Water | 115 MW | Operating | 1980 |
| 1 | Hydroelectric Pumped Storage | Water | 66.0 MW | Operating | 1965 |
| 5 | Hydroelectric Pumped Storage | Water | 66.0 MW | Operating | 1966 |
| NERC Region | RFC |
|---|---|
| Balancing Authority | Pjm Interconnection, Llc |
Hydroelectric plants spin turbines using falling or flowing water — typically from a dam-impounded reservoir. They are dispatchable, long-lived, and emission-free at the point of generation, though large reservoirs can disrupt rivers and ecosystems and methane can be released from flooded vegetation.