These plants are designed to run for short periods of time when customer demand for electricity is high. Hydroelectric power is vital to Duke Power's ability to deliver low-cost electricity fast when it's needed most. Hydroelectric generation makes up just 1 percent to 2 percent of Duke Power's total generation. Hydroelectric generation is a critical part of Duke Power's flexible and reliable generation mix.
Hydroelectric power is a renewable, low-cost and clean fuel source.
A hydroelectric station's ability to start quickly makes them ideally suited to provide peaking power and to make effective use of the water available for hydroelectric generation, providing electricity in seconds at times when customers need it most. Duke Power's management of the lakes created by its hydroelectric plants provides the region with many recreational opportunities, sustains wildlife habitats, helps provide a quality water source for local communities and ensures a reliable supply of hydroelectricity for its customers. Duke Power works in partnership with regulatory agencies, local communities and environmental organizations to protect and conserve environmentally sensitive areas around its lakes and to ensure an adequate stream flow. In 1899, Dr. Gil Wylie received permission to build and operate a hydroelectric plant at India Hook Shoals near Fort Mill, South Carolina. Great Falls Hydro, Duke Power's oldest operating hydroelectric station, started operation a few years later in 1907.