141st largest plant in South Carolina · 9517th nationally
Thermal Kem is a oil power plant in South Carolina with a nameplate capacity of 2.9 MW. It generates roughly 55 MWh per year — enough to power about 5 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 0% reflects intermittent or peaking operation. At 1693 lb CO₂/MWh, its emission rate sits above the national grid average of roughly 800 lb/MWh.
| Plant Name | Thermal Kem |
|---|---|
| Operator | Central Electric Power |
| City | Rock Hill |
| County | York County |
| State | South Carolina |
| ZIP | 29730 |
| Coordinates | 34.88940, -81.07250 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 2.9 MW | Operating | 2003 |
| CO₂ | 47 metric tons |
|---|---|
| NOₓ | 1 metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 1693 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 Carolinas |
Oil-fired plants typically run only during peak demand or grid emergencies because oil is expensive compared to gas and coal. They have the highest CO₂ emissions per MWh of any common generation technology.