Urquhart — United States of America

Gas power plant in South Carolina, United States of America. Approximate location 33.435, -81.9111.

GasSouth CarolinaUnited States of AmericaCCGT · HRSG

Urquhart is a 758.9 MW gas power station in South Carolina, United States of America. It is operated by Dominion Energy South Carolina Inc. Based on reported annual generation of 1,715 GWh, it can supply roughly 490k homes. It ranks #831 of 10,884 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1983, it is around 43 years old — long-established. In context, gas supplies about 40.0% of United States of America's electricity; the national grid averages 384 gCO₂/kWh (43.0% low-carbon) (2025).

758.9MW installed capacity
2HRSG unit(s)
1,715GWh reported / yr
490,114homes powered
1983commissioned (~43 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0003295.

Data status

Known data

FacilityUrquhart WRI
CountryUnited States of America · South Carolina WRI
Coordinates33.435, -81.9111 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity758.9 MW Wikidata P2109; installed/nameplate capacity
Verification noteQuality label backfilled from existing source-backed capacity provenance on 2026-07-05; capacity value was not changed. source-verified
OwnerDominion Energy South Carolina Inc WRI
Commissioned1983 WRI
TechnologyCCGT · HRSG WRI
GWh reported / yr1,715 GWh·a⁻¹ WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions686,160 t CO₂·a⁻¹ calculated
Capacity rank in country#831 / 10884 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#350 / 2165 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers6.26× · 121.2 MW · n=2165 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent490,114 calculated from reported generation
Climate17.3°C · HDD 1,254 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 36/100 derived from coordinates

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: WRI GPPD

In context: how this plant compares

At 758.9 MW, Urquhart is well above the median gas plant in United States of America (121.2 MW). Technically it is described as CCGT; combined-cycle with a heat-recovery steam generator (HRSG). Gas plants burn natural gas either in open-cycle turbines for fast peaking, or in combined-cycle units that recover exhaust heat in an HRSG to reach roughly 55–62% efficiency — the cleanest-burning fossil option.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

Key facts

Load factor
26%, from 1,715 GWh of reported generation, in line with the 26% median for 1622 gas plants in United States of America
Generation trend
1,302 GWh in 2013 and 1,715 GWh in 2019 (+32%)
Highest and lowest year
2017: 2,312 GWh; 2013: 1,302 GWh
Share of United States of America gas capacity
less than 0.1% of 789,950 MW across 2,165 plants in this dataset
Age among peers
360 of 1,973 dated gas 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)).

Reported generation trend

2013: 1,302 GWh20132014: 1,929 GWh20142015: 1,947 GWh20152016: 2,162 GWh20162017: 2,312 GWh20172018: 2,135 GWh20182019: 1,715 GWh20192k GWh

Annual generation (GWh), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Local climate & thermal context

This gas plant burns natural gas in a turbine — often in a combined-cycle setup — to generate electricity. It sits in a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 33.4°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

17.3°Cannual mean temp
1,254heating degree-days (base 18°C)
1,012cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
112 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 7 °CJF: 9 °CFM: 13 °CMA: 17 °CAM: 21 °CMJ: 25 °CJJ: 27 °CJA: 26 °CAS: 23 °CSO: 18 °CON: 13 °CND: 8 °CD27 °C

Heating degree-days here run 49% 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: 30/100 — this site sits in the bottom third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

A gas turbine here also runs ~2% below its ISO (15°C) rating at this annual mean (typical CCGT curve, estimate).

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.

Site climate & environmental severity

This site sits in a moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C3ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
36/100environmental-severity index
20.1°Cseasonal temperature swing
188 kmdistance to coast

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 #350 largest gas power plant of 2165 in United States of America by capacity.

United States of America has 2165 gas power plants in this dataset, together about 789,950 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 33.435, -81.9111 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Urquhart?

Urquhart is a 758.9 MW gas power plant in South Carolina, United States of America, commissioned in 1983.

How much electricity does Urquhart generate?

Urquhart generates about 1,715 GWh of electricity per year.

Who operates Urquhart?

Urquhart is operated by Dominion Energy South Carolina Inc.

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