26th largest plant in Mississippi · 2124th nationally
Columbus Ms is a biomass power plant in Mississippi with a nameplate capacity of 129 MW. It generates roughly 536.4k MWh per year — enough to power about 51,086 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 48% puts it in the middle range — running steadily but not full-time. At 99 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 (129 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 | Columbus Ms |
|---|---|
| Operator | International Paper Columbus Mill |
| City | Columbus |
| County | Lowndes County |
| State | Mississippi |
| ZIP | 39703 |
| Coordinates | 33.36020, -88.46000 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TG1 | Wood/Wood Waste Biomass | Black Liquor | 64.0 MW | Operating | 1990 |
| TG2 | Wood/Wood Waste Biomass | Black Liquor | 46.0 MW | Operating | 1982 |
| TG3 | Wood/Wood Waste Biomass | Black Liquor | 14.6 MW | Operating | 1982 |
| TG4 | Wood/Wood Waste Biomass | Black Liquor | 4.0 MW | Standby | 1987 |
| CO₂ | 26.5k metric tons |
|---|---|
| SO₂ | 567 metric tons |
| NOₓ | 193 metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 99 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.
| NERC Region | SERC |
|---|---|
| Balancing Authority | Tennessee Valley Authority |
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.