SALUDA
OperatingHydro power plant
- Capacity
- 207 MW
- Primary fuel
- Hydro
- County
- Lexington County
- Operator
- SOUTH CAROLINA ELECTRIC&GAS CO
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 1930
- EIA plant ID
- 3293
- Generators
- 5
- Technology
- Conventional Hydroelectric
- Net generation (2024)
- 143 GWh
- Capacity factor (2024, EIA nameplate)
- 7.9%
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 34.0532, -81.2166
SALUDA, a 207 MW Hydro power plant in Lexington County, South Carolina. Operated by SOUTH CAROLINA ELECTRIC&GAS CO, commissioned 1930.
How SALUDA compares
With 207 MW of capacity, SALUDA ranks 24th among the 83 operating power plants Bywatts maps in South Carolina and 5th of the 28 operating Hydro plants in the state. It accounts for about 6.2% of South Carolina's operating Hydro capacity and 0.9% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 86th-largest of the 1,243 operating Hydro plants in the database. Commissioned in 1930, it is older than 82% 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 Lexington County with one other operating plant, MCMEEKIN.
EIA-860 lists 5 generators at the site with 207 MW of nameplate capacity, all conventional hydroelectric technology. Net generation was 143 GWh in 2024 (a 7.9% capacity factor), up 23% from 2022. Its generators came online between 1930 and 1971.
Grid neighborhood
The closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 115 kV line owned by SOUTH CAROLINA ELECTRIC&GAS COMPANY, under 0.1 miles away. Another 8 operating power plants totaling 2,576 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
SALUDA is a 207 MW hydro power plant in Lexington County, SC, operated by SOUTH CAROLINA ELECTRIC&GAS CO, commissioned in 1930. Lexington County carries moderate modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 2.2 of 5 at the 30th national percentile. Hurricane is the leading peril, rated Relatively Moderate by FEMA at the 82nd 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.
Lexington County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hurricane | Relatively Moderate | 82nd | 4.3 of 5 | 0.17 |
| Ice storm | Very High | 82nd | 4.3 of 5 | 1.5 |
| Earthquake | Relatively Moderate | 80th | 4.2 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Lightning | Relatively High | 69th | 3.7 of 5 | 60.0 |
| Tornado | Relatively High | 61st | 3.5 of 5 | 0.56 |
| Wildfire | Relatively Low | 41st | 2.6 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Riverine flooding | Relatively Moderate | 39th | 2.5 of 5 | 1.4 |
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | 26th | 2.0 of 5 | 3.6 |
| Heat wave | Relatively Moderate | 26th | 2.0 of 5 | 4.3 |
| Winter weather | Relatively Moderate | 22nd | 1.9 of 5 | 1.8 |
| Strong wind | Relatively High | 18th | 1.7 of 5 | 5.7 |
Perils not assessed in Lexington 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 Lexington 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.