Hydroelectric Plants in Kentucky

Barkley Location: KY Operator: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Configuration: 4 X 32.5 MW propeller Operation: 1965 T/G supplier: NN, GE Quick facts: A unique feature of this project is the Barkley Canal connecting Lake Barkley on the Cumberland River and Kentucky Lake on the Tennessee River. The 400ft wide, 1.75mi canal provides a navigable channel for both commerce and recreation craft moving on the two waterways. Both reservoirs are operated as a unit for flood control and the production of hydroelectric power. Photograph courtesy of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Posted 20 Nov 2005	Kentucky Dam Location: KY Operator: Tennessee Valley Authority Configuration: 2 X 32 MW, 3 X 45 MW Kaplan Operation: 1944-1947 T/G supplier: AC, GE Quick facts: Kentucky Dam backs up the Tennessee River into a 184mi lake that stretches south across the western tip of Kentucky and nearly the entire width of Tennessee -- the largest manmade lake in the eastern USA.. Construction started on 1 Jul 1938 and the reservoir began filling on 30 Aug 1944.  The 8,422ft dam is TVA's longest and rises 206ft. The project cost $118mn. Photograph courtesy of Tennessee Valley Authority Posted 9 Jan 2005	Laurel Location: KY Operator: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Configuration: 1 X 74 MW Francis Operation: 1977 T/G supplier: AC, GE EPC: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Quick facts: In the 1960s, Congress authorized construction of a dam on the Laurel River 2.3mi above its confluence with the Cumberland River. The dam created a 5,600ac lake located within the Daniel Boone National Forest. Construction began in Dec 1964 and the lake was impounded in 1974. The rockfill dam is 282ft high and 1,420ft long. Photograph courtesy of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Posted 23 Nov 2005
	Wolf Creek Dam Location: KY Operator: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Configuration: 6 X 45 MW propeller Operation: 1951-1952 T/G supplier: BLH, GE, Hitachi Quick facts: Lake Cumberland is the second largest lake in the Cumberland River System and covers parts of seven counties in Southeastern Kentucky. The Wolf Creek Project was authorized by the Flood Control Act of 1938 and the Rivers and Harbor Act of 1946. Construction began in Aug 1941 and after a 3yr delay caused by World War II, the project was completed in Aug 1952.  The concrete gravity and earthfill dam reaches 258ft in height: it is 5,736ft long. The cost of the project was $80.4mn. Photograph courtesy of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Posted 20 Nov 2005

Abbreviations: AC = Allis Chalmers, BLH = Baldwin-Lima-Hamilton, GE = General Electric, IPM = I P Morris, NN = Newport News, SMS = S Morgan Smith, T/G = turbine generator, TVA = Tennessee Valley Authority, USACE = U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Data: industcards, Platts UDI World Electric Power Plants Data Base

Updated 04/15/07

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