Lewis Smith Dam
Hydro power plant · Walker County, Alabama
Nameplate capacity
181 MW
Rank in Alabama
#26
of 80 plants
In service since
1961
September 1961
Details
- Primary fuel
- Hydro
- Technology
- Conventional Hydroelectric
- Operator
- Alabama Power Co
- County
- Walker County
- Generating units
- 2
- Share of state capacity
- 0.55%
- Rank among hydro plants in Alabama
- #5 of 23
- EIA plant code
- 18
Generating units
| Unit | Technology | Nameplate | Summer | Online | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 91 MW | 89 MW | 1961 | Operating |
| 2 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 91 MW | 89 MW | 1962 | Operating |
Nameplate is the maximum rated output; summer capacity is what the unit can reliably deliver on a hot day, which is typically lower.
Similarly sized plants in Alabama
| Walter Bouldin Dam | Hydro | 225 MW |
| Martin Dam | Hydro | 211 MW |
| Lay Dam | Hydro | 177 MW |
| Bartletts Ferry | Hydro | 173 MW |
About this data
From EIA’s inventory of operable generators, May 2026 release. Capacity is nameplate — the maximum rated output of the equipment, not what the plant actually generates over a year, which depends on how often it runs. A 181 MW solar plant and a 181 MW nuclear plant have the same entry here and produce very different amounts of electricity.
“In service since” is the earliest in-service date among the units still listed, so a site rebuilt around newer equipment can read as younger than the site itself. All Alabama power plants · What Alabama actually generates