66th largest plant in Virginia · 3160th nationally
Altavista Power Station is a biomass power plant in Virginia with a nameplate capacity of 71.1 MW. It generates roughly 283.2k MWh per year — enough to power about 26,968 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 45% puts it in the middle range — running steadily but not full-time.
Ghost bars are each month's theoretical maximum (71.1 MW nameplate × hours in the month). Filled bars are actual net generation reported to EIA Form 923. The gap between them is capacity factor made visible.
| Plant Name | Altavista Power Station |
|---|---|
| Operator | Virginia Electric & Power Co |
| City | Altavista |
| County | Campbell County |
| State | Virginia |
| ZIP | 24517 |
| Coordinates | 37.11867, -79.27355 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wood/Wood Waste Biomass | Wood/Wood Waste | 71.1 MW | Operating | 1992 |
| SO₂ | 12 metric tons |
|---|---|
| NOₓ | 256 metric tons |
Annual totals and CO₂ rate reported by EPA eGRID for 2023. Reference averages are approximate U.S.-wide figures from the same dataset.
| NERC Region | SERC |
|---|---|
| Balancing Authority | Pjm Interconnection, Llc |
Biomass plants burn wood, agricultural waste, or methane from landfills to generate steam and electricity. They are considered carbon-neutral over long timescales when fuel is sustainably sourced, but they produce particulate emissions similar to coal.