Nuclear power plant in South Carolina, United States of America. Approximate location 35.0514, -81.0694.
NuclearSouth CarolinaUnited States of America
Catawba is a 2,410 MW nuclear power station in South Carolina, United States of America. It is operated by Duke Energy Carolinas LLC. Based on reported annual generation of 19,594 GWh, it can supply roughly 5,598,171 homes. It ranks #46 of 9,833 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1985, it is around 41 years old — long-established. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, nuclear supplies about 17.4% of United States of America's electricity; the national grid averages 384 gCO₂/kWh (43.0% low-carbon) (2025).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0006036.
Annual generation (GWh), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Operated by Duke Energy Carolinas LLC. All plants by this company →
This nuclear plant uses heat from nuclear fission to raise steam for a turbine-generator. It sits in a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 35.1°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.
Monthly mean temperature
Heating degree-days here run 33% below the median power plant in this dataset — a proxy for how much extra energy heated equipment must replace through its surfaces in winter.
Climate heat-demand index: 37/100 — this site sits in the mid third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.
In colder climates, uninsulated hot equipment (boilers, turbines, valves, steam lines) loses proportionally more heat to ambient air — exactly the loss Inzonex modular insulation is designed to cut.
Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.
The #15 largest nuclear power plant of 58 in United States of America by capacity.
United States of America has 58 nuclear power plants in this dataset, together about 104,233 MW of capacity.
Coordinates 35.0514, -81.0694 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
