ROANOKE, Va., June 25, 2024 – Appalachian Power will conduct a required test of its electricity generating units at the Leesville Dam in southwestern Virginia beginning at approximately 2 p.m., Wednesday, June 26. Testing will conclude in the early morning hours of Thursday, June 27.
Testing will increase downstream flows at locations on the Roanoke River (also known locally as Staunton River). Locations downstream of the dam—for example, the Altavista area—can expect to see a slow and gradual increase in elevation of about 8 feet, reaching a peak between 12 midnight and 3 a.m. on Thursday. River flows will decrease and return to normal following the conclusion of the test.
The test will ramp up the operation of the generators at the dam and will create water flows that increase slowly over seven hours. Outflows will peak at the dam between 10 and 11 p.m. on Wednesday before decreasing over several hours to normal water release. The test is not expected to create downstream hazards, but the company urges recreational and commercial users of the river and shoreline to be aware of temporary higher levels and faster water flows.
Appalachian will concurrently run both of its 24-megawatt generators at Leesville for one hour during the peak test period. Weather or other circumstances could change the timing of this test.
The annual testing is required by PJM Interconnection, the regional transmission organization that coordinates the movement of wholesale electricity in the mid-Atlantic region.
Leesville Dam is the lower dam of the two-reservoir Smith Mountain pumped storage hydroelectric project operated by Appalachian Power in southwestern Virginia. Leesville Lake is in Bedford, Campbell and Pittsylvania counties on the Roanoke River.
Appalachian Power has 1 million customers in Virginia, West Virginia and Tennessee (as AEP Appalachian Power). It is part of American Electric Power, which is focused on building a smarter energy infrastructure and delivering new technologies and custom energy solutions. AEP’s approximately 17,000 employees operate and maintain the nation’s largest electricity transmission system and more than 225,000 miles of distribution lines to efficiently deliver safe, reliable power to nearly 5.6 million customers in 11 states. AEP is also one of the nation’s largest electricity producers with approximately 29,000 megawatts of diverse generating capacity, including 6,000 megawatts of renewable energy.