Catawba Nuclear Station
The Catawba Nuclear Station, which started operations in 1985, is located in York County, South Carolina on Lake Wylie. Catawba has two pressurized water reactors with unit 1 beginning operation in 1985 followed by unit 2 in 1986. The two units at Catawba generate 2,310 megawatts of electricity – enough electricity to power approximately 1.7 million homes. Catawba is one the largest electric generating stations in South Carolina. Because nuclear energy is a carbon free resource, the operation of Catawba avoids the release of over 12.5 million tons of CO2 on annual basis.
The Catawba Nuclear Station is jointly owned by North Carolina Municipal Power Agency No. 1, North Carolina Electric Membership Cooperative, Piedmont Municipal Power Agency, and Duke Energy.
Duke Energy is the licensed operator of the station.
Operational impact
· The station produced an annual net generation of more than 19 billion kilowatt-hours in 2023.
· Its 2023 annual capacity factor was 94.7%. (Capacity factor is actual energy output compared to maximum possible energy output of 100%.)
Community impact
· Catawba Nuclear Station provides well-paying jobs to more than 700 employees, with additional contingent workers during refueling outages.
· In 2023, Catawba Nuclear Station paid $61 million in property taxes to York County, and over $25 million in payroll taxes to South Carolina.
