Bad Creek: an engineering marvel inside blue-granite mountain

bad-creek-hydro-station-2An engineering marvel inside a blue-granite mountain in northern Oconee County is the way Duke Energy describes its Bad Creek pumped-storage hydro-electric station.  Bad Creek this year has reached a milestone—25 years in operation.  To a four-hour celebration, Duke invited current and former workers and community representatives.  The highlights were tours of the powerhouse cavern and 2,600 foot dam.  Duke’s chief fossil/hydro officer Regis Repko used the occasion to announce that his company will ask the federal government to allow a 200-megawatt addition, on top of Bad Creek’s existing 1,065 megawatts.  At any given time, one megawatt powers about 800 homes.  Seneca’s state representative Bill Sandifer, who is involved in state and regional energy and utility legislative business, congratulated Duke for 25 years of Bad Creek.  Hydro facilities, such as Duke’s Bad Creek, are capable of going quickly from generating zero to maximum energy output, making them ideal for sudden changes in electricity demand.  Bad Creek measures 32,000 square feet at the top of Lake Jocassee.  The area is considered one of the beautiful and picturesque areas in the southeast.