209th largest plant in Florida · 3394th nationally
Lee County Solid Waste Energy is a biomass power plant in Florida with a nameplate capacity of 59.0 MW. It generates roughly 274.1k MWh per year — enough to power about 26,101 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 53% puts it in the middle range — running steadily but not full-time. At 2110 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 (59.0 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 | Lee County Solid Waste Energy |
|---|---|
| Operator | Lee County Board-Commissioners |
| City | Fort Myers |
| County | Lee County |
| State | Florida |
| ZIP | 33905 |
| Coordinates | 26.63155, -81.76066 |
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 | 39.0 MW | Operating | 1994 |
| GEN2 | Municipal Solid Waste | Municipal Waste | 20.0 MW | Operating | 2007 |
| CO₂ | 289.1k metric tons |
|---|---|
| SO₂ | 445 metric tons |
| NOₓ | 545 metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 2110 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 | Florida Power & Light Company |
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.