KEOWEE
OperatingHydro power plant
- Capacity
- 158 MW
- Primary fuel
- Hydro
- County
- Pickens County
- Operator
- DUKE ENERGY CAROLINAS, LLC
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 1971
- EIA plant ID
- 6517
- Generators
- 2
- Technology
- Conventional Hydroelectric
- Net generation (2024)
- 67 GWh
- Capacity factor (2024, EIA nameplate)
- 4.8%
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 34.7983, -82.8873
KEOWEE, a 158 MW Hydro power plant in Pickens County, South Carolina. Operated by DUKE ENERGY CAROLINAS, LLC, commissioned 1971.
How KEOWEE compares
With 158 MW of capacity, KEOWEE ranks 26th among the 83 operating power plants Bywatts maps in South Carolina and 6th of the 28 operating Hydro plants in the state. It accounts for about 4.7% of South Carolina's operating Hydro capacity and 0.7% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 117th-largest of the 1,243 operating Hydro plants in the database. Commissioned in 1971, it is older than 64% of the 82 operating South Carolina plants with a recorded commissioning year. Its operator, DUKE ENERGY CAROLINAS, LLC, runs 15 operating plants in South Carolina totaling 8,471 MW. It shares Pickens County with 2 other operating plants, JOCASSEE and CENTRAL ENERGY FACILITY.
EIA-860 lists 2 generators at the site with 158 MW of nameplate capacity, all conventional hydroelectric technology. Net generation was 67 GWh in 2024 (a 4.8% capacity factor).
Grid neighborhood
The closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 230 kV line owned by DUKE ENERGY CAROLINAS, LLC, under 0.1 miles away. Another 6 operating power plants totaling 4,366 MW sit within 25 miles; the largest is OCONEE (2,667 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
KEOWEE is a 158 MW hydro power plant in Pickens County, SC, operated by DUKE ENERGY CAROLINAS, LLC, commissioned in 1971. Pickens County carries moderate modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 2.0 of 5 at the 26th national percentile. Lightning is the leading peril, rated Relatively High by FEMA at the 89th 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.
Pickens County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lightning | Relatively High | 89th | 4.5 of 5 | 61.6 |
| Ice storm | Relatively High | 86th | 4.4 of 5 | 1.7 |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | 75th | 4.0 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Hurricane | Relatively Low | 59th | 3.4 of 5 | 0.04 |
| Riverine flooding | Relatively Moderate | 52nd | 3.1 of 5 | 0.96 |
| Hail | Relatively Low | 40th | 2.6 of 5 | 4.5 |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 38th | 2.5 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Tornado | Relatively Low | 22nd | 1.9 of 5 | 0.27 |
| Heat wave | Relatively Low | 13th | 1.5 of 5 | 1.2 |
| Strong wind | Relatively Moderate | 12th | 1.5 of 5 | 2.0 |
| Winter weather | Very Low | 6th | 1.2 of 5 | 4.8 |
Perils not assessed in Pickens 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 Pickens 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.