65th largest plant in Pennsylvania · 2692nd nationally
Covanta Delaware Valley is a biomass power plant in Pennsylvania with a nameplate capacity of 90.0 MW. It generates roughly 572.1k MWh per year — enough to power about 54,482 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 73% puts it in the middle range — running steadily but not full-time. At 2201 lb CO₂/MWh, its emission rate sits above the national grid average of roughly 800 lb/MWh.
Ghost bars are each month's theoretical maximum (90.0 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 | Covanta Delaware Valley |
|---|---|
| Operator | Covanta Delaware Valley Lp |
| City | Chester |
| County | Delaware County |
| State | Pennsylvania |
| ZIP | 19013 |
| Coordinates | 39.82650, -75.38820 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GEN1 | Municipal Solid Waste | Municipal Waste | 90.0 MW | Operating | 1991 |
| CO₂ | 629.7k metric tons |
|---|---|
| SO₂ | 1.0k metric tons |
| NOₓ | 1.1k metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 2201 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 | RFC |
|---|---|
| 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.