McGuire
Nuclear power plant · Mecklenburg County, North Carolina
Details
- Primary fuel
- Nuclear
- Technology
- Nuclear
- Operator
- Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC
- County
- Mecklenburg County
- Generating units
- 2
- Share of state capacity
- 6.09%
- Rank among nuclear plants in North Carolina
- #1 of 3
- EIA plant code
- 6038
Generating units
| Unit | Technology | Nameplate | Summer | Online | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nuclear | 1,220 MW | 1,158 MW | 1981 | Operating |
| 2 | Nuclear | 1,220 MW | 1,158 MW | 1984 | Operating |
Nameplate is the maximum rated output; summer capacity is what the unit can reliably deliver on a hot day, which is typically lower.
Similarly sized plants in North Carolina
| Roxboro | Coal | 2,558 MW |
| Belews Creek | Natural gas | 2,491 MW |
| Lincoln Combustion | Natural gas | 2,290 MW |
| Sherwood H Smith Jr Energy Complex | Natural gas | 2,245 MW |
About this data
From EIA’s inventory of operable generators, May 2026 release. Capacity is nameplate — the maximum rated output of the equipment, not what the plant actually generates over a year, which depends on how often it runs. A 2,441 MW solar plant and a 2,441 MW nuclear plant have the same entry here and produce very different amounts of electricity.
“In service since” is the earliest in-service date among the units still listed, so a site rebuilt around newer equipment can read as younger than the site itself. All North Carolina power plants · What North Carolina actually generates