The Corps regional water resource projects serve multiple purposes to balance the diverse needs of communities, ecosystems and industry. One of the project purposes is hydropower. The renewable nature of water resources makes hydropower an ideal supplemental energy resource. The Great Lakes and Ohio River Division has ten federally-owned hydropower plants, 33 generating units with 935 megawatt generating capacity. The majority of this hydropower is produced at nine plants on the Cumberland River, which is marketed through the Southeastern Power Administration to Tennessee Valley Association. The Soo Locks at St. Saulte, Michigan on the border with Canada also has federally-operated hydropower producing electricity for communities in the Michigan upper peninsula.

In addition, the Great Lakes and Ohio River Division water resource projects have another fifteen privately-developed plants operating at Corps projects that produce another 900 megawatts.

The Corps of Engineers hydropower is maintained by dedicated, experienced technical experts that produce some of the highest rates of availability of electricity. As a public service agency, the Corps is committed serving the 18 million people who live in the Great Lakes and Ohio River regions.