Oxford Dam
Hydro power plant · Catawba County, North Carolina
Details
- Primary fuel
- Hydro
- Technology
- Conventional Hydroelectric
- Operator
- Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC
- County
- Catawba County
- Generating units
- 2
- Share of state capacity
- 0.09%
- Rank among hydro plants in North Carolina
- #14 of 38
- EIA plant code
- 2729
Generating units
| Unit | Technology | Nameplate | Summer | Online | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 18 MW | 20 MW | 1928 | Operating |
| 2 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 18 MW | 20 MW | 1928 | 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 North Carolina
| Elm City Solar Facility | Solar | 40 MW |
| International Paper Co. - New Bern Mill | Other | 38 MW |
| Innovative Solar 31 | Solar | 35 MW |
| Virginia Line Solar, LLC | Solar | 35 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 36 MW solar plant and a 36 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 North Carolina power plants · What North Carolina actually generates