J STROM THURMOND
OperatingHydro power plant
- Capacity
- 362 MW
- Primary fuel
- Hydro
- County
- McCormick County
- Operator
- USCE-SAVANNAH DISTRICT
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 1953
- EIA plant ID
- 3323
- Generators
- 7
- Technology
- Conventional Hydroelectric
- Net generation (2024)
- 651 GWh
- Capacity factor (2024, EIA nameplate)
- 20%
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 33.6610, -82.1975
J STROM THURMOND, a 362 MW Hydro power plant in McCormick County, South Carolina. Operated by USCE-SAVANNAH DISTRICT, commissioned 1953.
How J STROM THURMOND compares
With 362 MW of capacity, J STROM THURMOND ranks 20th among the 83 operating power plants Bywatts maps in South Carolina and 4th of the 28 operating Hydro plants in the state. It accounts for about 11% of South Carolina's operating Hydro capacity and 1.5% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 59th-largest of the 1,243 operating Hydro plants in the database. Commissioned in 1953, it is older than 74% of the 82 operating South Carolina plants with a recorded commissioning year.
EIA-860 lists 7 generators at the site with 362 MW of nameplate capacity, all conventional hydroelectric technology. Net generation was 651 GWh in 2024 (a 20% capacity factor), up 4% from 2022. Its generators came online between 1953 and 1954.
Grid neighborhood
The closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 115 kV line, under 0.1 miles away. Another 4 operating power plants totaling 781 MW sit within 25 miles; the largest is URQUHART (759 MW, Natural Gas).
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
J STROM THURMOND is a 362 MW hydro power plant in McCormick County, SC, operated by USCE-SAVANNAH DISTRICT, commissioned in 1953. McCormick County carries moderate modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 2.2 of 5 at the 31st national percentile. Lightning is the leading peril, rated Very Low by FEMA at the 97th 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.
McCormick County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lightning | Very Low | 97th | 4.9 of 5 | 55.9 |
| Earthquake | Very Low | 80th | 4.2 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Ice storm | Relatively Low | 80th | 4.2 of 5 | 1.1 |
| Hurricane | Relatively Low | 78th | 4.1 of 5 | 0.06 |
| Strong wind | Relatively Low | 57th | 3.3 of 5 | 3.7 |
| Riverine flooding | Very Low | 56th | 3.2 of 5 | 0.14 |
| Tornado | Relatively Low | 45th | 2.8 of 5 | 0.25 |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 44th | 2.7 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Hail | Very Low | 35th | 2.4 of 5 | 3.5 |
| Winter weather | Very Low | 24th | 2.0 of 5 | 1.9 |
| Heat wave | Very Low | 22nd | 1.9 of 5 | 3.3 |
Perils not assessed in McCormick 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 McCormick 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.