Williams

Coal power plant in South Carolina, United States of America. Approximate location 33.0158, -79.9297.

CoalSouth CarolinaUnited States of America

Williams is a 714 MW coal power station in South Carolina, United States of America. It is operated by South Carolina Genertg Co Inc. Based on reported annual generation of 2,557 GWh, it can supply roughly 731k homes. It ranks #939 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1972, it is around 54 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).

714Source-backed capacity
2,557GWh reported / yr
730,685homes powered
1972commissioned (~54 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0003298.

Data status

Known data

FacilityWilliams WRI
CountryUnited States of America · South Carolina WRI
Coordinates33.0158, -79.9297 WRI
FuelCoal WRI
MW installed capacity714 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerSouth Carolina Genertg Co Inc WRI
Commissioned1972 WRI
GWh reported / yr2,557 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions2,557,400 t CO₂/yr calculated
Capacity rank in country#939 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#324 of 802 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.28× · 558 MW median · 802 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent730,685 calculated from reported generation
Climate18.5°C · HDD 947 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC5 · 48/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

TechnologyNot available not in dataset
GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset

Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.

Capacity provenance

The public capacity above is the current source-record value. A 2026 tracker candidate lists 633 MW for Williams Station, but it is not used as the public primary value until scope is verified (unit vs operating vs installed/project total).

Capacity claim grade: A2_MEDIUM_REVIEW - recommended action: manual_source_check - confidence: medium. This follows a claim-based data model: value + scope + source + confidence, rather than silently overwriting records.

Data provenance

The capacity and/or fuel fields on this page include a source-backed provenance label from GEM, an official registry, Wikidata, OSM, or a cross-source match.

capacity: GEM tracker 2026 (location L100000104181); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 714 MW, Williams is well above the median coal plant in United States of America (558 MW). 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.

Reported generation trend

2013: 3,345 GWh20132014: 3,705 GWh20142015: 3,736 GWh20152016: 2,992 GWh20162017: 2,608 GWh20172018: 2,963 GWh20182019: 2,557 GWh20194k GWh

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

Owner

Operated by South Carolina Genertg Co Inc.

Local climate & thermal context

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 33.0°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

18.5°Cannual mean temp
947heating degree-days (base 18°C)
1,147cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
6 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 9 °CJF: 10 °CFM: 14 °CMA: 18 °CAM: 22 °CMJ: 25 °CJJ: 27 °CJA: 27 °CAS: 24 °CSO: 19 °CON: 15 °CND: 11 °CD27 °C

Heating degree-days here run 61% 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: 26/100 — this site sits in the bottom third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

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

For a plant’s outdoor hardware — heat-recovery steam generators (HRSG), expansion joints, valves, flanges and their insulation — the local climate sets how fast unprotected steel and coatings degrade. This site sits in an aggressive, high-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C5 — Very high), with marine salt corrosion the leading environmental stress.

C5ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
48/100environmental-severity index
18.5°Cseasonal temperature swing
48 kmdistance to coast

Higher environmental severity is exactly where protective removable insulation pays back most: a sheltered micro-climate slows corrosion, UV and thermal-cycling damage and extends outdoor hardware service life. This is an indicative site-climate context — not a condition assessment of any specific plant or operator.

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 #324 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

Location

Coordinates 33.0158, -79.9297 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Williams?

Williams is a 714 MW source-record coal power plant in South Carolina, United States of America, commissioned in 1972.

How much electricity does Williams generate?

Williams generates about 2,557 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Williams power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 730,685 homes.

Who operates Williams?

Williams is operated by South Carolina Genertg Co Inc.

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