5th largest plant in South Carolina · 213th nationally
Winyah is a coal power plant in South Carolina with a nameplate capacity of 1,260 MW. It generates roughly 2.6M MWh per year — enough to power about 252,064 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 24% reflects intermittent or peaking operation. At 2401 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 (1,260 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 | Winyah |
|---|---|
| Operator | South Carolina Public Service Authority |
| City | Georgetown |
| County | Georgetown County |
| State | South Carolina |
| ZIP | 29440 |
| Coordinates | 33.33184, -79.35724 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Conventional Steam Coal | Bituminous Coal | 331 MW | Operating | 1975 |
| 2 | Conventional Steam Coal | Bituminous Coal | 315 MW | Operating | 1977 |
| 3 | Conventional Steam Coal | Bituminous Coal | 315 MW | Operating | 1980 |
| 4 | Conventional Steam Coal | Bituminous Coal | 315 MW | Operating | 1981 |
| CO₂ | 3.2M metric tons |
|---|---|
| SO₂ | 1.7k metric tons |
| NOₓ | 1.5k metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 2401 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 | South Carolina Public Service Authority |
Coal plants burn pulverized coal to boil water and spin steam turbines. They emit substantial CO₂, SO₂, and NOₓ along with mercury and particulate matter. Modern units include scrubbers and selective catalytic reduction; older units are increasingly being retired or converted to natural gas as economics shift.