BUFORD
OperatingHydro power plant
- Capacity
- 131 MW
- Primary fuel
- Hydro
- County
- Forsyth County
- Operator
- USCE-MOBILE DISTRICT
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 2003
- EIA plant ID
- 759
- Generators
- 3
- Technology
- Conventional Hydroelectric
- Net generation (2024)
- 147 GWh
- Capacity factor (2024, EIA nameplate)
- 13%
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 34.1620, -84.0760
BUFORD, a 131 MW Hydro power plant in Forsyth County, Georgia. Operated by USCE-MOBILE DISTRICT, commissioned 2003.
How BUFORD compares
With 131 MW of capacity, BUFORD ranks 39th among the 104 operating power plants Bywatts maps in Georgia and 6th of the 29 operating Hydro plants in the state. It accounts for about 3.7% of Georgia's operating Hydro capacity and 0.4% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 139th-largest of the 1,243 operating Hydro plants in the database. Commissioned in 2003, it is newer than 85% of the 101 operating Georgia plants with a recorded commissioning year. Its operator, USCE-MOBILE DISTRICT, runs 5 operating plants in Georgia totaling 921 MW.
EIA-860 lists 3 generators at the site with 131 MW of nameplate capacity, all conventional hydroelectric technology. Net generation was 147 GWh in 2024 (a 13% capacity factor), down 25% from 2022. Its generators came online between 2003 and 2005.
Grid neighborhood
The closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 115 kV line owned by GEORGIA POWER CO, under 0.1 miles away. Another 2 operating power plants totaling 25 MW sit within 25 miles; the largest is MORGAN FALLS DAM (17 MW, Hydro). Within 50 miles are 9 mapped data centers; the nearest is QTS Atlanta-Suwanee (SUW1) in Suwanee, about 8.8 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
BUFORD is a 131 MW hydro power plant in Forsyth County, GA, operated by USCE-MOBILE DISTRICT, commissioned in 2003. Forsyth County carries elevated modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 3.0 of 5 at the 49th national percentile. Lightning is the leading peril, rated Relatively High by FEMA at the 90th percentile.
The Bywatts loss layer is calibrated to solar PV hardware, so it is not applied to a hydro plant. The ratings below are the FEMA National Risk Index county hazard ratings for this location.
Forsyth County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lightning | Relatively High | 90th | 4.6 of 5 | 59.8 |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | 65th | 3.6 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Tornado | Relatively High | 61st | 3.4 of 5 | 0.14 |
| Riverine flooding | Relatively Moderate | 60th | 3.4 of 5 | 0.96 |
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | 59th | 3.4 of 5 | 5.5 |
| Ice storm | Relatively Moderate | 58th | 3.3 of 5 | 0.98 |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 37th | 2.5 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Hurricane | Very Low | 35th | 2.4 of 5 | 0.02 |
| Strong wind | Relatively Moderate | 22nd | 1.9 of 5 | 2.6 |
| Winter weather | Relatively Low | 18th | 1.7 of 5 | 3.5 |
| Heat wave | Relatively Low | 15th | 1.6 of 5 | 1.8 |
Perils not assessed in Forsyth 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 "Not Applicable" for this county |
Model hail, wind and flood exposure for Forsyth 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.