SEWELL CREEK ENERGY
OperatingNatural Gas power plant
- Capacity
- 570 MW
- Primary fuel
- Natural Gas
- County
- Polk County
- Operator
- OGLETHORPE POWER CORPORATION
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 2000
- EIA plant ID
- 7813
- Generators
- 4
- Technology
- Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine
- Net generation (2024)
- 523 GWh
- Capacity factor (2024, EIA nameplate)
- 10%
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 33.9476, -85.2770
SEWELL CREEK ENERGY, a 570 MW Natural Gas power plant in Polk County, Georgia. Operated by OGLETHORPE POWER CORPORATION, commissioned 2000.
How SEWELL CREEK ENERGY compares
With 570 MW of capacity, SEWELL CREEK ENERGY ranks 21st among the 104 operating power plants Bywatts maps in Georgia and 12th of the 26 operating Natural Gas plants in the state. It accounts for about 3.8% of Georgia's operating Natural Gas capacity and 1.6% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 281st-largest of the 1,185 operating Natural Gas plants in the database. Commissioned in 2000, it is newer than 70% of the 101 operating Georgia plants with a recorded commissioning year. Its operator, OGLETHORPE POWER CORPORATION, runs 8 operating plants in Georgia totaling 4,973 MW.
EIA-860 lists 4 generators at the site with 570 MW of nameplate capacity, all natural gas fired combustion turbine technology. Net generation was 523 GWh in 2024 (a 10% capacity factor), up 15% from 2022.
Grid neighborhood
The closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 230 kV line owned by GEORGIA TRANSMISSION CORP, under 0.1 miles away. Another 2 operating power plants totaling 3,611 MW sit within 25 miles; the largest is PLANT BOWEN (3,540 MW, Coal).
Computed by Bywatts from HIFLD power plant and transmission line records and EIA-860/923 survey data; distances are straight-line. Sources and methodology
Weather peril exposure
SEWELL CREEK ENERGY is a 570 MW natural gas power plant in Polk County, GA, operated by OGLETHORPE POWER CORPORATION, commissioned in 2000. Polk 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 Moderate by FEMA at the 93rd 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.
Polk County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | 93rd | 4.7 of 5 | 62.6 |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | 85th | 4.4 of 5 | 0.23 |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | 74th | 4.0 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Wildfire | Relatively Low | 66th | 3.7 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Riverine flooding | Relatively Low | 60th | 3.4 of 5 | 0.71 |
| Hurricane | Relatively Low | 57th | 3.3 of 5 | 0.04 |
| Hail | Relatively Low | 56th | 3.2 of 5 | 5.5 |
| Ice storm | Relatively Low | 50th | 3.0 of 5 | 0.58 |
| Strong wind | Relatively Moderate | 43rd | 2.7 of 5 | 3.2 |
| Heat wave | Relatively Low | 17th | 1.7 of 5 | 2.2 |
| Winter weather | Very Low | 10th | 1.4 of 5 | 3.0 |
Perils not assessed in Polk 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 Polk 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.