30th largest plant in New Jersey · 3202nd nationally
Covanta Essex Company is a biomass power plant in New Jersey with a nameplate capacity of 69.8 MW. It generates roughly 438.1k MWh per year — enough to power about 41,720 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 72% puts it in the middle range — running steadily but not full-time. At 2390 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 (69.8 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 Essex Company |
|---|---|
| Operator | Covanta Essex Company |
| City | Newark |
| County | Essex County |
| State | New Jersey |
| ZIP | 07105 |
| Coordinates | 40.73760, -74.12550 |
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 | 34.9 MW | Operating | 1990 |
| GEN2 | Municipal Solid Waste | Municipal Waste | 34.9 MW | Operating | 1990 |
| CO₂ | 523.4k metric tons |
|---|---|
| SO₂ | 809 metric tons |
| NOₓ | 782 metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 2390 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.