Grainger Generating Station — United States of America
Coal power plant in South Carolina, United States of America. Approximate location 33.825419, -79.052511.
CoalSouth CarolinaUnited States of Americasubcritical
Grainger Generating Station is a 170 MW coal power station in South Carolina, United States of America. It is operated by South Carolina Public Service Authority [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 213k homes (estimated). It ranks #2138 of 10,884 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1966, it is around 60 years old — an older, legacy facility. In context, coal supplies about 16.3% 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 GEM_coa_grainger_unite.
Data status
Known data
Calculated from dataset
Not available
Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.
Data provenance
Source of the capacity and fuel values:
capacity: Wikidata P2109; fuel: GEM GCPT
In context: how this plant compares
At 170 MW, Grainger Generating Station is below the median coal plant in United States of America (558 MW). Technically it is described as subcritical. Coal plants burn pulverised coal to raise high-pressure steam for a turbine; they run as baseload but are the most carbon-intensive mainstream source and the first targeted for retirement or efficiency retrofits.
Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.
Key facts
- Share of United States of America coal capacity
- less than 0.1% of 621,194 MW across 802 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 234 of 745 dated coal plants in United States of America are older
Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).
Capacity vs largest coal plants in United States of America
Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Owner
Operated by South Carolina Public Service Authority [100%].
Climate zone & how it works
This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 33.8°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.
Climate zone & typical temperatures: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid).
Site climate & environmental severity
This site sits in an aggressive, high-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C5 — Very high), with marine salt corrosion the leading environmental stress.
Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.
How it compares & nearby plants
The #611 largest coal power plant of 802 in United States of America by capacity.
United States of America has 802 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 621,194 MW of capacity.
Nearby power plants
- Horry Land Fill Gas Site · Waste · 3.1 MW · South Carolina
- Myrtle Beach · Oil · 111.5 MW · South Carolina
- Bell Bay Solar Farm · Solar · 1.6 MW · South Carolina
- Runway Solar Farm · Solar · 2 MW · South Carolina
- Cherry Blossom Solar LLC · Solar · 10 MW · South Carolina
- Arthur Solar LLC · Solar · 5 MW · North Carolina
Location
Coordinates 33.825419, -79.052511 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Grainger Generating Station?
Grainger Generating Station is a 170 MW coal power plant in South Carolina, United States of America, commissioned in 1966.
Who operates Grainger Generating Station?
Grainger Generating Station is operated by South Carolina Public Service Authority [100%].