3rd largest plant in North Carolina · 39th nationally
Mcguire is a nuclear power plant in North Carolina with a nameplate capacity of 2,441 MW. It generates roughly 18.1M MWh per year — enough to power about 1,720,797 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 85% means it runs nearly around-the-clock as baseload generation.
| Plant Name | Mcguire |
|---|---|
| Operator | Duke Energy Carolinas, Llc |
| City | Huntersville |
| County | Mecklenburg County |
| State | North Carolina |
| ZIP | 28078 |
| Coordinates | 35.43310, -80.94860 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nuclear | Uranium | 1,220 MW | Operating | 1981 |
| 2 | Nuclear | Uranium | 1,220 MW | Operating | 1984 |
| NERC Region | SERC |
|---|---|
| Balancing Authority | Duke Energy Carolinas |
Nuclear plants generate carbon-free baseload electricity by fissioning uranium fuel inside a reactor. They run nearly around-the-clock — typical capacity factors above 90% — and a single facility can power millions of homes. Spent fuel is stored on-site in dry casks. NRC oversees safety; emergency planning zones extend 10 miles from the reactor.