Power plants in the Duke Energy Carolinas balancing area
The Duke Energy Carolinas balancing area takes in 441 power plants with 31.0 GW of nameplate capacity, the 11th-largest of the 40 areas covered here. Its plants sit in two states, with North Carolina holding 64% of the capacity. Natural gas makes up 51% of the mix, and the largest plant is Oconee (2,667 MW). Since 2020, 1,620 MW has come online here, 72% of it solar.
- Natural gas15,951 MW51%
- Nuclear7,517 MW24%
- Solar2,525 MW8.2%
- Pumped-storage hydro2,454 MW7.9%
- Hydroelectric1,164 MW3.8%
- Coal1,088 MW3.5%
- Oil and petroleum160 MW0.5%
- Biomass and waste71.7 MW0.2%
- Battery storage50 MW0.2%
Capacity by decade it came online
NuclearCoalNatural gasOil and petroleumHydroelectricPumped-storage hydroSolarBattery storageBiomass and waste
Above the line: capacity operating in 2025. Below: capacity retired at plants that still run.
The 25 largest plants in the area
| Rank | Plant | State | Runs on | Capacity | First unit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oconee | South Carolina | Nuclear | 2,667 MW | 1973 |
| 2 | Belews Creek | North Carolina | Natural gas | 2,491 MW | 1974 |
| 3 | McGuire | North Carolina | Nuclear | 2,441 MW | 1981 |
| 4 | Catawba | South Carolina | Nuclear | 2,410 MW | 1985 |
| 5 | Lincoln Combustion | North Carolina | Natural gas | 2,156 MW | 1995 |
| 6 | Marshall (NC) | North Carolina | Coal | 2,119 MW | 1965 |
| 7 | Bad Creek | South Carolina | Pumped-storage hydro | 1,680 MW | 1991 |
| 8 | James E. Rogers Energy Complex | North Carolina | Natural gas | 1,530 MW | 1972 |
| 9 | Rowan | North Carolina | Natural gas | 1,192 MW | 2001 |
| 10 | Lee Combined Cycle Plant | North Carolina | Natural gas | 1,068 MW | 2012 |
| 11 | Broad River Energy Center | South Carolina | Natural gas | 985 MW | 2000 |
| 12 | Rockingham County CT Station | North Carolina | Natural gas | 978 MW | 2000 |
| 13 | W S Lee | South Carolina | Natural gas | 955 MW | 2007 |
| 14 | Mill Creek (SC) | South Carolina | Natural gas | 799 MW | 2002 |
| 15 | Jocassee | South Carolina | Pumped-storage hydro | 774 MW | 1973 |
| 16 | Cleveland Cnty Generating Facility | North Carolina | Natural gas | 736 MW | 2012 |
| 17 | Buck | North Carolina | Natural gas | 698 MW | 2011 |
| 18 | Dan River | North Carolina | Natural gas | 698 MW | 2012 |
| 19 | Kings Mountain Energy Center | North Carolina | Natural gas | 544 MW | 2018 |
| 20 | Cowans Ford | North Carolina | Hydroelectric | 350 MW | 1963 |
| 21 | Keowee | South Carolina | Hydroelectric | 158 MW | 1971 |
| 22 | Innovative Solar 37 LLC | North Carolina | Solar | 100 MW | 2017 |
| 23 | SR Lambert I, LLC | South Carolina | Solar | 100 MW | 2025 |
| 24 | SR Lambert II | South Carolina | Solar | 100 MW | 2025 |
| 25 | Wateree Hydro | South Carolina | Hydroelectric | 90.5 MW | 1919 |
States
| State | Plants | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| North Carolina | 360 | 19.7 GW |
| South Carolina | 81 | 11.3 GW |
Operators with the most capacity
| Operator | Plants | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC | 43 | 23.7 GW |
| Southern Power Co | 3 | 2,003 MW |
| Duke Energy Progress (NC) | 3 | 1,104 MW |
| Broad River Energy LLC | 1 | 985 MW |
| Carolina Power Partners, LLC | 1 | 544 MW |
| Cypress Creek Renewables | 66 | 295 MW |
| SunStrong Management | 14 | 218 MW |
| Strata Manager, LLC | 37 | 201 MW |
| Dominion Renewable Energy | 1 | 100 MW |
| SR Lambert I, LLC | 1 | 100 MW |