Catawba

Nuclear power plant · York County, South Carolina

Nameplate capacity
2,410 MW
Rank in South Carolina
#3
of 214 plants
In service since
1985
June 1985

Details

Primary fuel
Nuclear
Technology
Nuclear
Operator
Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC
County
York County
Generating units
2
Share of state capacity
8.85%
Rank among nuclear plants in South Carolina
#2 of 4
EIA plant code
6036

Generating units

Individual generating units at Catawba
UnitTechnologyNameplateSummerOnlineStatus
1Nuclear1,205 MW1,160 MW1985Operating
2Nuclear1,205 MW1,150 MW1986Operating

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 South Carolina

OconeeNuclear2,667 MW
CrossCoal2,452 MW
Bad CreekHydro1,680 MW
WinyahCoal1,276 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 2,410 MW solar plant and a 2,410 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 South Carolina power plants · What South Carolina actually generates