COPE
OperatingCoal power plant
- Capacity
- 417 MW
- Primary fuel
- Coal
- County
- Orangeburg County
- Operator
- SOUTH CAROLINA ELECTRIC&GAS CO
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 1996
- EIA plant ID
- 7210
- Generators
- 1
- Net generation (2024)
- 1,666 GWh
- Capacity factor (2024, EIA nameplate)
- 45%
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 33.3653, -81.0311
COPE, a 417 MW Coal power plant in Orangeburg County, South Carolina. Operated by SOUTH CAROLINA ELECTRIC&GAS CO, commissioned 1996.
How COPE compares
With 417 MW of capacity, COPE ranks 19th among the 83 operating power plants Bywatts maps in South Carolina and 6th of the 10 operating Coal plants in the state. It accounts for about 6.4% of South Carolina's operating Coal capacity and 1.8% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 173rd-largest of the 324 operating Coal plants in the database. Commissioned in 1996, it is newer than 62% of the 82 operating South Carolina plants with a recorded commissioning year. Its operator, SOUTH CAROLINA ELECTRIC&GAS CO, runs 12 operating plants in South Carolina totaling 5,236 MW. It shares Orangeburg County with 2 other operating plants, NORTH ROAD PEAK and ROWESVILLE RD PLANT.
Under the same EIA plant code, EIA-860 lists 1 generator at the site with 417 MW of nameplate capacity. Net generation was 1,666 GWh in 2024 (a 45% capacity factor), down 3% from 2022.
Grid neighborhood
The closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 230 kV line owned by SOUTH CAROLINA ELECTRIC&GAS COMPANY, under 0.1 miles away. Another 2 operating power plants totaling 24 MW sit within 25 miles; the largest is NORTH ROAD PEAK (14 MW, Oil).
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
COPE is a 417 MW coal power plant in Orangeburg County, SC, operated by SOUTH CAROLINA ELECTRIC&GAS CO, commissioned in 1996. Orangeburg County carries elevated modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 3.2 of 5 at the 56th national percentile. Hurricane is the leading peril, rated Relatively High by FEMA at the 91st percentile.
The Bywatts loss layer is calibrated to solar PV hardware, so it is not applied to a coal plant. The ratings below are the FEMA National Risk Index county hazard ratings for this location.
Orangeburg County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hurricane | Relatively High | 91st | 4.6 of 5 | 0.25 |
| Earthquake | Relatively Moderate | 91st | 4.6 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Ice storm | Relatively High | 75th | 4.0 of 5 | 1.1 |
| Lightning | Relatively High | 71st | 3.8 of 5 | 62.9 |
| Wildfire | Relatively Low | 59th | 3.4 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | 37th | 2.5 of 5 | 3.5 |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | 34th | 2.4 of 5 | 0.76 |
| Heat wave | Relatively Moderate | 29th | 2.2 of 5 | 5.0 |
| Strong wind | Relatively High | 24th | 2.0 of 5 | 4.7 |
| Winter weather | Relatively Moderate | 15th | 1.6 of 5 | 1.4 |
| Riverine flooding | Relatively Moderate | 14th | 1.5 of 5 | 0.79 |
Perils not assessed in Orangeburg 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 Orangeburg 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.