Cowans Ford
Lincoln County, North Carolina · EIA plant ID 2722 · Operator: Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC
Nameplate350MWSummer 324 MW
Generators4in service
Net generation125GWh12 mo to Dec 2025
Capacity factor4%hydro units, summer MW
Heat rate—thermal plants only
First online1963
Monthly net generation
EIA-923, all units at the plant. Net of station use; storage can go negative.
FinalPreliminary
Capacity factor by year
Net MWh ÷ (summer MW × hours), hydro units. Each year uses that year's EIA-860 ratings; the hollow dot is the latest 12 months.
Heat rate by year
Electric fuel MMBtu × 1000 ÷ net MWh (Btu/kWh, HHV), fossil units only; CT + CA counted as one combined-cycle block.
Heat rate applies to fuel-burning (thermal) units only.
Annual data table
| Year | Net GWh | Capacity factor | Heat rate (Btu/kWh) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 62.1 | 2.2% | — |
| 2002 | 62.1 | 2.2% | — |
| 2003 | 264.8 | 9.3% | — |
| 2004 | 192.4 | 6.7% | — |
| 2005 | 174.6 | 6.1% | — |
| 2006 | 113.9 | 4.0% | — |
| 2007 | 98 | 3.4% | — |
| 2008 | 60.8 | 2.1% | — |
| 2009 | 162.2 | 5.7% | — |
| 2010 | 158.9 | 5.6% | — |
| 2011 | 100 | 3.5% | — |
| 2012 | 100.9 | 3.5% | — |
| 2013 | 258.1 | 9.1% | — |
| 2014 | 148 | 5.2% | — |
| 2015 | 156.1 | 5.5% | — |
| 2016 | 140.6 | 4.9% | — |
| 2017 | 120.4 | 4.2% | — |
| 2018 | 311.2 | 11.0% | — |
| 2019 | 263.7 | 9.3% | — |
| 2020 | 345.6 | 12.1% | — |
| 2021 | 179.3 | 6.3% | — |
| 2022 | 144.4 | 5.1% | — |
| 2023 | 136.5 | 4.8% | — |
| 2024 | 182 | 6.4% | — |
| 2025 | 124.9 | 4.4% | — |
Generators
EIA-860 (annual) with EIA-860M updates through Sep 2026. EIA-923 reports generation by plant, prime mover and fuel, not by unit, so unit-level output isn't shown.
| Gen ID | Technology | Prime mover | Nameplate MW | Summer MW | Online | Status | Planned retirement | OEM / model |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Conventional Hydroelectric | HY | 87.5 | 81 | Sep 1963 | Operating | — | coming soon |
| 2 | Conventional Hydroelectric | HY | 87.5 | 81 | Sep 1963 | Operating | — | coming soon |
| 3 | Conventional Hydroelectric | HY | 87.5 | 81 | Sep 1963 | Operating | — | coming soon |
| 4 | Conventional Hydroelectric | HY | 87.5 | 81 | Apr 1967 | Operating | — | coming soon |
Owner / operator
Operator: Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC. Ownership shares by in-service nameplate MW (EIA-860 Schedule 4; units not listed there are wholly owned by the operator).
| Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC | 100.0% | 350 MW |
Nearby plants
Within 80 km.
| McGuire | 2,441 MW | 0.9 km |
| Freemont Solar Center LLC | 5 MW | 3.6 km |
| McDowell Creek Solar LLC | — | 4.7 km |
| Lincoln Combustion | 2,156 MW | 6.9 km |
| Hornet Solar | — | 8.3 km |
| Cornelius Delivery No 1 | 2 MW | 10.7 km |