A North Carolina energy project today received the lion's share of federal stimulus funds designated for improving the nation's aging hydroelectric power plants.

The U.S. Department of Energy awarded up to $13 million to Alcoa to replace four 90-year-old turbines at the Tapoco Cheoah plant near the Little Tennessee River in Graham and Swain counties.

The grant will provide an additional 22 megawatts of capacity to the Alcoa facility, boosting power output by 23 percent.