Tennessee's only licensed hydropower project was granted another license today. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued a new license for ALCOA's Tapoco project on the Little Tennessee River in North Carolina and Tennessee.

The Tapoco hydropower project lies on the Little Tennessee and Cheoah rivers in Tennessee and North Carolina. Under a comprehensive settlement agreement and license, owner Alcoa will preserve virgin tracts of forest lands and restore flows to these Smoky Mountain streams. Now the project has earned Low Impact Certification from our partners at the Low Impact Hydropower Institute.