Search
Search plants, projects, owners, and states
Search plants, projects, owners, and states
350 MW Hydro operating in Lincoln, NC
350 MW
Nameplate Capacity
4
Generators
units
Conventional Hydroelectric
Technology
1963
Operating Since
Coordinates
35.4346, -80.9588
County
Lincoln, NC
Nearby Plants
Forward-looking, asset-specific exposure analytics combining climate hazards, generation variability, and counterparty risk into a single decision-grade view. Powered by InfraRisk.
See the full risk decomposition + scenarios for this asset.
| Field | EIA | GEM | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC | Duke Energy Carolinas | — |
| Owner(s) | Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC | Duke Energy | Duke Energy |
| Status | Operating | operating | — |
Cowans Ford Hydroelectric Station is a hydroelectric power plant and dam located near Huntersville, North Carolina, approximately 20 miles north of Charlotte on Lake Norman. It is the largest conventional hydro station owned by Duke Energy, generating up to 350 MW of power.
Read more on WikipediaCowans Ford is a 350 MW conventional hydroelectric power plant located in Lincoln County, North Carolina. The plant began operating in 1963 and is owned and operated by Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC, a subsidiary of Duke Energy. It utilizes water as its primary fuel source and consists of four generators. Cowans Ford is the largest hydroelectric plant out of eight in North Carolina, and ranks 64th out of 194 hydroelectric plants nationally.
The plant operates within the Duke Energy Carolinas balancing authority and the SERC NERC region. In the most recent year with available data, Cowans Ford generated 182,023 MWh of electricity, resulting in a capacity factor of 5.9%. Financial data indicates an installed cost of $448.44 per kW and a power purchase agreement (PPA) price of $25 per MWh.
Generated from EIA, GEM, and public data sources
Grid Region
Southeast
Market
SEEM Participant
NERC Region
SERC — SERC Reliability Corporation
Balancing Authority
Duke Energy Carolinas (DUK)
Grid Voltage
230.0 kV
Regulatory Status
RE — Regulated
Entity Type
Investor-Owned Utility
Sector
Electric Utility
Monthly net generation as reported to EIA-923 — useful for historical context. Confidence varies sharply by fuel type; the band above and the “About this data” button explain the caveats specific to this plant and how InfraSure’s in-house model handles them.
13.6K MWh
Latest Month
182.0K MWh
Annual Generation
5.9%
Capacity Factor
Forward-looking generation outlook with probabilistic ranges across weather, demand, and policy scenarios. Powered by InfraSure's generation modeling stack.
See the full forecast + scenario decomposition for this asset.
Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC · Data from 2015–2025
$25.0/MWh
PPA Price
Annual Capital & Operating Expenses
Cumulative Installed Cost
Per-Unit Cost Trends
Forward revenue, DSCR bands, and refinancing risk projected under price, demand, and policy scenarios. Powered by InfraSure's asset cashflow stack.
See the full revenue + DSCR projection for this asset.
This plant's balancing authority participates in the Southeast Energy Exchange Market (SEEM). SEEM is a bilateral exchange — no public nodal pricing.
No wholesale contracts disclosed in FERC EQR for this plant.
FERC EQR captures bilateral wholesale energy + capacity contracts ≥$1M/yr filed quarterly by jurisdictional sellers — covers renewable PPAs, thermal energy sales agreements, capacity contracts, and tolling agreements alike. Many plants don't appear: regulated-utility output flows to ratepayers via cost-of-service rather than bilateral contracts; small projects fall below the filing threshold; tax-equity-financed renewables route offtake to investors not utilities; merchant plants sell into ISO clearing markets without bilateral contracts. News-extracted buyer facts (below) may surface contracts disclosed only through announcements.
Last updated 2026-03-14
View all articlesForward forecasts, scenario decomposition, and risk-decision tooling for this asset.