KY

Ohio Falls P-289

General information

Waterway  Ohio River
Current status   Active license 
Type of facility Conventional Hydro
Mode of hydropower generation Run-of-river
Type of permit FERC License

FERC information

FERC docket # P-289
FERC project name Ohio Falls
Permit issued 10/22/05
Permit expiration 10/27/45

Ownership and operation

Owner Louisville Gas & Electric Co
Owner type Investor-Owned Utility
Year first online (conventional hydro) 1928
Transmission or distribution system owner Louisville Gas & Electric Co

Power and generating capacity

Number of units 8
Total capacity from hydraulic turbine-generator units within each plant 109.6 MW
Average annual net hydropower generation 220,814.6 MWH

The project is located on the Ohio River adjacent to Shippingport Island within the Falls of the Ohio National Wildlife Conservation Area (NWCA), and is situated between the Corps McAlpine Locks (on the Kentucky side of the river) and Dam (on the Indiana side of the river).

The project occupies 1.72 acres of federal land at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (Corps) McAlpine Locks & Dam on the Ohio River, within Jefferson County in the city of Louisville, Kentucky.

The Ohio Falls Project consists of:

  • a concrete capped dike on the left side of the powerhouse;
  • a powerhouse containing eight 10,040-kilowatt (kW) generating units with a combined capacity of 83,357 kW;
  • a 632-foot-long and 2-foot-wide headworks section, built integral with the powerhouse;
  • a 0.97-mile-long 69 kilovolt (kV) transmission line; and (e) appurtenant facilities.

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