31st largest plant in Tennessee · 3136th nationally
Packaging Corp Of America is a biomass power plant in Tennessee with a nameplate capacity of 72.5 MW. It generates roughly 415.5k MWh per year — enough to power about 39,573 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 65% puts it in the middle range — running steadily but not full-time. At 140 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 (72.5 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 | Packaging Corp Of America |
|---|---|
| Operator | Packaging Corp Of America |
| City | Counce |
| County | Hardin County |
| State | Tennessee |
| ZIP | 38326 |
| Coordinates | 35.04710, -88.26610 |
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 | 50.0 MW | Operating | 1985 |
| GEN2 | Wood/Wood Waste Biomass | Black Liquor | 22.5 MW | Operating | 2010 |
| CO₂ | 29.0k metric tons |
|---|---|
| SO₂ | 424 metric tons |
| NOₓ | 191 metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 140 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 | Tennessee Valley Authority |
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.