125th largest plant in Michigan · 4943rd nationally
Kent County Waste To Energy Facility is a biomass power plant in Michigan with a nameplate capacity of 18.0 MW. It generates roughly 93.4k MWh per year — enough to power about 8,897 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 59% puts it in the middle range — running steadily but not full-time. At 2314 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 (18.0 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 | Kent County Waste To Energy Facility |
|---|---|
| Operator | Kent County |
| City | Grand Rapids |
| County | Kent County |
| State | Michigan |
| ZIP | 49503 |
| Coordinates | 42.94958, -85.69321 |
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 | 18.0 MW | Operating | 1989 |
| CO₂ | 108.1k metric tons |
|---|---|
| SO₂ | 154 metric tons |
| NOₓ | 295 metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 2314 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 | Midcontinent Independent Transmission System Operator, Inc.. |
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.