Raccoon Mountain Pumped-Storage Plant

Raccoon Mountain Pumped-Storage Plant is a pumped-storage hydroelectric underground power station in Marion County, just west of Chattanooga in the U.S. state of Tennessee.

The facility is owned and operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). Construction was started in 1970 and was completed in 1978.^[1]

Water is pumped from Nickajack Reservoir on the Tennessee River at the base of Raccoon Mountain to a storage reservoir built at the top of the mountain. The reservoir at the top of the mountain covers 528 acres (214 ha), with a dam that is 230 feet (70 m) high and 5,800 feet (1,800 m) long, the largest rock-fill dam ever built by TVA. It takes 28 hours to fill the upper reservoir. During periods of high electric demand, water can be released from the reservoir through a tunnel drilled through the center of the mountain, driving electric generators in an underground hydroelectric plant.^[1] The plant has a capacity of 1600 megawatts of electricity and can generate for up to 22 hours. The plant is used most every day and serves as an important grid balancing in the TVA system.^[2][3]

Recreation

The facility is a popular recreation spot for hiking, walking, running, road and mountain biking.

References