South Holston
Hydro power plant · Sullivan County, Tennessee
Nameplate capacity
39 MW
Rank in Tennessee
#45
of 106 plants
In service since
1951
February 1951
Details
- Primary fuel
- Hydro
- Technology
- Conventional Hydroelectric
- Operator
- Tennessee Valley Authority
- County
- Sullivan County
- Generating units
- 1
- Share of state capacity
- 0.16%
- Rank among hydro plants in Tennessee
- #22 of 29
- EIA plant code
- 3416
Generating units
| Unit | Technology | Nameplate | Summer | Online | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 39 MW | 44 MW | 1951 | 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 Tennessee
| Chilhowee | Hydro | 50 MW |
| Tims Ford | Hydro | 46 MW |
| Cheatham | Hydro | 36 MW |
| SR Bell Buckle | 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 39 MW solar plant and a 39 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 Tennessee power plants · What Tennessee actually generates