524th largest plant in California · 4106th nationally
Humboldt Sawmill Company is a biomass power plant in California with a nameplate capacity of 32.5 MW. It generates roughly 120.0k MWh per year — enough to power about 11,424 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 42% puts it in the middle range — running steadily but not full-time. At 27 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 (32.5 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 | Humboldt Sawmill Company |
|---|---|
| Operator | Mendocino Forest Products |
| City | Scotia |
| County | Humboldt County |
| State | California |
| ZIP | 95565 |
| Coordinates | 40.47280, -124.10140 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GEN1 | Wood/Wood Waste Biomass | Wood/Wood Waste | 12.5 MW | Operating | 1988 |
| GEN2 | Wood/Wood Waste Biomass | Wood/Wood Waste | 12.5 MW | Operating | 1988 |
| GEN3 | Wood/Wood Waste Biomass | Wood/Wood Waste | 7.5 MW | Out of Service | 1938 |
| CO₂ | 1.6k metric tons |
|---|---|
| SO₂ | 29 metric tons |
| NOₓ | 177 metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 27 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 | 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.