FAIRFIELD PUMPED STORAGE
OperatingHydro power plant
- Capacity
- 511 MW
- Primary fuel
- Hydro
- County
- Fairfield County
- Operator
- SOUTH CAROLINA ELECTRIC&GAS CO
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 1978
- EIA plant ID
- 6126
- Generators
- 8
- Technology
- Hydroelectric Pumped Storage
- Net generation (2024)
- 473 GWh
- Capacity factor (2024, EIA nameplate)
- 9.2%
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 34.3065, -81.3310
FAIRFIELD PUMPED STORAGE, a 511 MW Hydro power plant in Fairfield County, South Carolina. Operated by SOUTH CAROLINA ELECTRIC&GAS CO, commissioned 1978.
How FAIRFIELD PUMPED STORAGE compares
With 511 MW of capacity, FAIRFIELD PUMPED STORAGE ranks 17th among the 83 operating power plants Bywatts maps in South Carolina and 3rd of the 28 operating Hydro plants in the state. It accounts for about 15% of South Carolina's operating Hydro capacity and 2.2% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 45th-largest of the 1,243 operating Hydro plants in the database. Commissioned in 1978, it is older than 56% 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 Fairfield County with 2 other operating plants, V C SUMMER and PARR HYDRO.
EIA-860 lists 8 generators at the site with 587 MW of nameplate capacity, all hydroelectric pumped storage technology (this page's HIFLD capacity figure is 511 MW). Net generation was 473 GWh in 2024 (a 9.2% capacity factor).
Grid neighborhood
The closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 230 kV line, under 0.1 miles away. Another 5 operating power plants totaling 1,551 MW sit within 25 miles; the largest is V C SUMMER (1,030 MW, Nuclear).
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
FAIRFIELD PUMPED STORAGE is a 511 MW hydro power plant in Fairfield County, SC, operated by SOUTH CAROLINA ELECTRIC&GAS CO, commissioned in 1978. Fairfield County carries moderate modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 2.2 of 5 at the 30th national percentile. Ice storm is the leading peril, rated Relatively High by FEMA at the 85th 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.
Fairfield County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ice storm | Relatively High | 85th | 4.4 of 5 | 1.9 |
| Hurricane | Relatively Low | 80th | 4.2 of 5 | 0.14 |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | 78th | 4.1 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | 63rd | 3.5 of 5 | 0.50 |
| Lightning | Relatively Low | 50th | 3.0 of 5 | 55.2 |
| Riverine flooding | Relatively Low | 47th | 2.9 of 5 | 0.14 |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 44th | 2.8 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Strong wind | Relatively Low | 38th | 2.5 of 5 | 5.3 |
| Hail | Very Low | 29th | 2.2 of 5 | 4.3 |
| Heat wave | Relatively Low | 20th | 1.8 of 5 | 2.9 |
| Winter weather | Very Low | 11th | 1.4 of 5 | 2.3 |
Perils not assessed in Fairfield 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 Fairfield 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.