HILTON HEAD
OperatingOil power plant
- Capacity
- 118 MW
- Primary fuel
- Oil
- County
- Beaufort County
- Operator
- SOUTH CAROLINA PUBLIC SERVICE AUTHORITY
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 1973
- EIA plant ID
- 3318
- Generators
- 3
- Technology
- Petroleum Liquids
- Net generation (2024)
- 0.7 GWh
- Capacity factor (2024, EIA nameplate)
- under 0.1%
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 32.2091, -80.6987
HILTON HEAD, a 118 MW Oil power plant in Beaufort County, South Carolina. Operated by SOUTH CAROLINA PUBLIC SERVICE AUTHORITY, commissioned 1973.
How HILTON HEAD compares
With 118 MW of capacity, HILTON HEAD ranks 27th among the 83 operating power plants Bywatts maps in South Carolina and is the largest of the 12 operating Oil plants in the state. It accounts for about 41% of South Carolina's operating Oil capacity and 0.5% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 37th-largest of the 544 operating Oil plants in the database. Commissioned in 1973, it is older than 59% of the 82 operating South Carolina plants with a recorded commissioning year. Its operator, SOUTH CAROLINA PUBLIC SERVICE AUTHORITY, runs 17 operating plants in South Carolina totaling 5,261 MW.
EIA-860 lists 3 generators at the site with 118 MW of nameplate capacity, all petroleum liquids technology. Net generation was 0.7 GWh in 2024 (a capacity factor under 0.1%). Its generators came online between 1973 and 1979.
Grid neighborhood
The closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 115 kV line owned by SOUTH CAROLINA ELECTRIC&GAS CO, under 0.1 miles away.
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
HILTON HEAD is a 118 MW oil power plant in Beaufort County, SC, operated by SOUTH CAROLINA PUBLIC SERVICE AUTHORITY, commissioned in 1973. Beaufort County carries critical modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 4.8 of 5 at the 94th national percentile. Hurricane 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 an oil plant. The ratings below are the FEMA National Risk Index county hazard ratings for this location.
Beaufort County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hurricane | Very High | 100th | 5.0 of 5 | 0.34 |
| Lightning | Relatively High | 90th | 4.6 of 5 | 63.4 |
| Earthquake | Relatively Moderate | 86th | 4.4 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Coastal flooding | Relatively High | 71st | 3.8 of 5 | 3.7 |
| Ice storm | Relatively High | 69th | 3.8 of 5 | 0.64 |
| Wildfire | Relatively Moderate | 57th | 3.3 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Heat wave | Relatively Moderate | 45th | 2.8 of 5 | 10.2 |
| Winter weather | Relatively Moderate | 33rd | 2.3 of 5 | 0.84 |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | 27th | 2.1 of 5 | 0.34 |
| Hail | Relatively Low | 23rd | 1.9 of 5 | 2.2 |
| Riverine flooding | Relatively Moderate | 5th | 1.2 of 5 | 0.93 |
| Strong wind | Relatively High | 3rd | 1.1 of 5 | 1.6 |
Model hail, wind and flood exposure for Beaufort 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.