1471st largest plant in California · 11698th nationally
Cold Canyon 1 is a biomass power plant in California with a nameplate capacity of 1.5 MW. It generates roughly 10.0k MWh per year — enough to power about 954 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 76% puts it in the middle range — running steadily but not full-time.
| Plant Name | Cold Canyon 1 |
|---|---|
| Operator | Toro Energy Of California Slo |
| City | San Luis Obispo |
| County | San Luis Obispo County |
| State | California |
| ZIP | 93401 |
| Coordinates | 35.18667, -120.59944 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W3998 | Landfill Gas | Landfill Gas | 1.5 MW | Operating | 2013 |
| SO₂ | 2 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 | WECC |
|---|---|
| Balancing Authority | California Independent System Operator |
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.