El Nido Facility

🌿 BiomassIPP Non-CHP12 MW capacity

769th largest plant in California · 5364th nationally

El Nido Facility is a biomass power plant in California with a nameplate capacity of 12.5 MW. It generates roughly 1.0k MWh per year — enough to power about 97 average U.S. homes.

Its capacity factor of 1% reflects intermittent or peaking operation. At 96 lb CO₂/MWh, its emission rate sits below the national grid average of roughly 800 lb/MWh.

PeakingMid-meritBaseload0%40%80%100%1%
Peaking — intermittent or backup
Capacity13 MWnameplate
Annual Generation1.0k MWhEPA eGRID
Capacity Factor1%of theoretical max
Annual CO₂49metric tons

Location

Plant NameEl Nido Facility
OperatorMerced Power Llc
CityEl Nido
CountyMerced County
StateCalifornia
ZIP95340
Coordinates37.18670, -120.49030

This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.

Natural GasHydroelectricSolarBiomassBattery Storage

Generators (1)

IDTechnologyFuelCapacityStatusOnline
AMPCWood/Wood Waste BiomassWood/Wood Waste12.5 MWOut of Service2008

Emissions (annual)

CO₂49 metric tons
SO₂1 metric tons
NOₓ2 metric tons
CO₂ Rate96 lb/MWh
This plant96 lb/MWhU.S. grid average800 lb/MWhNatural gas combined-cycle average900 lb/MWhCoal plant average2,100 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.

Grid context

NERC RegionWECC
Balancing AuthorityCalifornia Independent System Operator

About Biomass plants

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.

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