This Hydro-Power Dam Is A Beautiful Building Site

This Hydro-Power Dam Is A Beautiful Building Site

There’s something serene about this panoramic view of the large scale construction site lit by the morning sun. The Smithland hydroelectric facility in Kentucky has been under construction since 2010 — but as of this year it will generate 72 MW of new, renewable energy for the region.

This hydropower dam will be about the 30th major dam in the state when completed later this year. These are the brief technical details of the Smithland hydro project according to the builders:

The Smithland project will divert water from the existing Corps Smithland Locks and Dam through bulb turbines to generate an average gross annual output of approximately 379 million kilowatt-hours (kWh). The site will include an intake approach channel, a reinforced concrete powerhouse and a tailrace channel. The powerhouse will house three horizontal FERC rated 24-MW bulb-type turbine and generating units with an estimated total rated capacity of 72 MW at a gross head of 22 feet. A 2.5-mile-long 161 kV transmission line interconnection is planned to connect to MISO. Smithland is located approximately 62 river miles upstream of the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, in Livingston County, Ky.

[US Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy]


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