VANDOLAH POWER STATION
OperatingNatural Gas power plant
- Capacity
- 728 MW
- Primary fuel
- Natural Gas
- County
- Hardee County
- Operator
- VANDOLAH POWER CO LLC
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 2002
- EIA plant ID
- 55415
- Generators
- 4
- Technology
- Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine
- Net generation (2024)
- 724 GWh
- Capacity factor (2024, EIA nameplate)
- 11%
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 27.5243, -81.9240
VANDOLAH POWER STATION, a 728 MW Natural Gas power plant in Hardee County, Florida. Operated by VANDOLAH POWER CO LLC, commissioned 2002.
How VANDOLAH POWER STATION compares
With 728 MW of capacity, VANDOLAH POWER STATION ranks 29th among the 110 operating power plants Bywatts maps in Florida and 19th of the 55 operating Natural Gas plants in the state. It accounts for about 1.6% of Florida's operating Natural Gas capacity and 1.2% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 173rd-largest of the 1,185 operating Natural Gas plants in the database. Commissioned in 2002, it is newer than 70% of the 108 operating Florida plants with a recorded commissioning year. It shares Hardee County with 2 other operating plants, MIDULLA GENERATING STATION and HARDEE POWER STATION.
EIA-860 lists 4 generators at the site with 728 MW of nameplate capacity, all natural gas fired combustion turbine technology. Net generation was 724 GWh in 2024 (an 11% capacity factor), down 51% from 2022.
Grid neighborhood
The closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 230 kV line owned by DUKE ENERGY FLORIDA, LLC, under 0.1 miles away. Another 10 operating power plants totaling 5,338 MW sit within 25 miles; the largest is HINES ENERGY COMPLEX (2,263 MW, Natural Gas). Within 50 miles are 2 mapped data centers; the nearest is WOW! Business (Tampa Datacenter) in Tampa, about 43.9 miles away.
Computed by Bywatts from HIFLD power plant and transmission line records, EIA-860/923 survey data and PeeringDB data center locations; distances are straight-line. Sources and methodology
Weather peril exposure
VANDOLAH POWER STATION is a 728 MW natural gas power plant in Hardee County, FL, operated by VANDOLAH POWER CO LLC, commissioned in 2002. Hardee County carries critical modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 4.6 of 5 at the 89th national percentile. Strong wind is the leading peril, rated Very High by FEMA at the 100th percentile.
The Bywatts loss layer is calibrated to solar PV hardware, so it is not applied to a natural gas plant. The ratings below are the FEMA National Risk Index county hazard ratings for this location.
Hardee County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strong wind | Very High | 100th | 5.0 of 5 | 0.76 |
| Hurricane | Relatively Moderate | 95th | 4.8 of 5 | 0.24 |
| Wildfire | Relatively Low | 88th | 4.5 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | 73rd | 3.9 of 5 | 97.4 |
| Tornado | Relatively Low | 53rd | 3.1 of 5 | 0.65 |
| Riverine flooding | Very Low | 24th | 2.0 of 5 | 0.79 |
| Heat wave | Very Low | 22nd | 1.9 of 5 | 3.3 |
| Earthquake | Very Low | 7th | 1.3 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Hail | Very Low | 6th | 1.2 of 5 | 1.7 |
Perils not assessed in Hardee County
These perils carry no usable National Risk Index figure for this county, so they are excluded from the scoring rather than scored zero. A zero would claim the peril was assessed and found benign.
| Peril | Why it is not scored |
|---|---|
| Coastal flooding | FEMA rating is "No Rating" for this county |
| Winter weather | FEMA rating is "No Rating" for this county |
| Ice storm | FEMA rating is "Not Applicable" for this county |
Model hail, wind and flood exposure for Hardee County in the weather risk calculator
Ratings are the FEMA National Risk Index county hazard ratings; the peril score is a Bywatts transform of the FEMA national percentile. Full data sources and the solar vulnerability methodology are in the weather risk calculator.
Modeled estimate for screening and negotiation. Built from FEMA National Risk Index county hazard data and a solar vulnerability layer documented above. Not a quote, a binder, or actuarial advice, and not a substitute for a carrier's own model. Hazard data: FEMA National Risk Index December 2025, synced 2026-07-24. Resolution is county level, not site level.