48th largest plant in Hawaii · 5627th nationally
Biomass To Energy Facility, Kauai is a biomass power plant in Hawaii with a nameplate capacity of 10.3 MW. It generates roughly 42.2k MWh per year — enough to power about 4,019 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 47% puts it in the middle range — running steadily but not full-time. At 7 lb CO₂/MWh, its emission rate sits below the national grid average of roughly 800 lb/MWh.
Ghost bars are each month's theoretical maximum (10.3 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 | Biomass To Energy Facility, Kauai |
|---|---|
| Operator | Mahipapa Llc |
| City | Koloa |
| County | Kauai County |
| State | Hawaii |
| ZIP | 96756 |
| Coordinates | 21.96528, -159.46056 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MKA1 | Other Waste Biomass | AB | 9.3 MW | Operating | 2016 |
| XKA1 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 0.5 MW | Operating | 2014 |
| XKA2 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 0.5 MW | Operating | 2014 |
| CO₂ | 152 metric tons |
|---|---|
| SO₂ | 10 metric tons |
| NOₓ | 48 metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 7 lb/MWh |
Annual totals and CO₂ rate reported by EPA eGRID for 2023. Reference averages are approximate U.S.-wide figures from the same dataset.
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.