4th largest plant in North Carolina · 59th nationally
Sherwood H Smith Jr Energy Complex is a natural gas power plant in North Carolina with a nameplate capacity of 2,245 MW. It generates roughly 8.6M MWh per year — enough to power about 818,820 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 44% puts it in the middle range — running steadily but not full-time. At 892 lb CO₂/MWh, its emission rate sits above the national grid average of roughly 800 lb/MWh.
Ghost bars are each month's theoretical maximum (2,245 MW nameplate × hours in the month). Filled bars are actual net generation reported to EIA Form 923. The gap between them is capacity factor made visible.
| Plant Name | Sherwood H Smith Jr Energy Complex |
|---|---|
| Operator | Duke Energy Progress - (Nc) |
| City | Hamlet |
| County | Richmond County |
| State | North Carolina |
| ZIP | 28345 |
| Coordinates | 34.83920, -79.74060 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ST5 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | Natural Gas | 271 MW | Operating | 2011 |
| 001 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Natural Gas | 199 MW | Operating | 2001 |
| 002 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Natural Gas | 199 MW | Operating | 2001 |
| 003 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Natural Gas | 199 MW | Operating | 2001 |
| 004 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Natural Gas | 199 MW | Operating | 2001 |
| 6 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Natural Gas | 199 MW | Operating | 2002 |
| 7 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | Natural Gas | 199 MW | Operating | 2002 |
| 8 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | Natural Gas | 199 MW | Operating | 2002 |
| ST4 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | Natural Gas | 196 MW | Operating | 2002 |
| 10 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | Natural Gas | 191 MW | Operating | 2011 |
| 9 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | Natural Gas | 191 MW | Operating | 2011 |
| CO₂ | 3.8M metric tons |
|---|---|
| SO₂ | 15 metric tons |
| NOₓ | 395 metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 892 lb/MWh |
Annual totals and CO₂ rate reported by EPA eGRID for 2023. Reference averages are approximate U.S.-wide figures from the same dataset.
| NERC Region | SERC |
|---|---|
| Balancing Authority | Duke Energy Progress East |
Natural gas plants are the workhorse of the modern grid. Combined-cycle units achieve very high efficiency and can ramp up and down quickly to balance variable renewables. They emit roughly half the CO₂ per MWh of coal and far less of other pollutants, but they still release upstream methane during fuel extraction.