90th largest plant in North Carolina · 3811th nationally
International Paper Riegelwood Mill is a biomass power plant in North Carolina with a nameplate capacity of 44.0 MW. It generates roughly 379.8k MWh per year — enough to power about 36,166 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 99% means it runs nearly around-the-clock as baseload generation. At 91 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 (44.0 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 | International Paper Riegelwood Mill |
|---|---|
| Operator | International Paper Co-Riegelwood |
| City | Riegelwood |
| County | Columbus County |
| State | North Carolina |
| ZIP | 28456 |
| Coordinates | 34.35330, -78.21370 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NO3 | Wood/Wood Waste Biomass | Black Liquor | 44.0 MW | Operating | 1976 |
| NO4 | Wood/Wood Waste Biomass | Black Liquor | 40.0 MW | Operating | 2024 |
| NO 2 | Wood/Wood Waste Biomass | Black Liquor | 10.0 MW | Retired | 1955 |
| NO 1 | Wood/Wood Waste Biomass | Black Liquor | 7.5 MW | Retired | 1951 |
| CO₂ | 17.3k metric tons |
|---|---|
| SO₂ | 549 metric tons |
| NOₓ | 143 metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 91 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 | Duke Energy Progress East |
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.