879th largest plant in California · 6341st nationally
Plant No 1 Orange County is a biomass power plant in California with a nameplate capacity of 7.5 MW. It generates roughly 39.3k MWh per year — enough to power about 3,740 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 60% puts it in the middle range — running steadily but not full-time. At 243 lb CO₂/MWh, its emission rate sits below the national grid average of roughly 800 lb/MWh.
| Plant Name | Plant No 1 Orange County |
|---|---|
| Operator | Orange County Sanitation Dist |
| City | Fountain Valley |
| County | Orange County |
| State | California |
| ZIP | 92708 |
| Coordinates | 33.69420, -117.93810 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GEN1 | Other Waste Biomass | Other Biomass Gas | 2.5 MW | Operating | 1993 |
| GEN2 | Other Waste Biomass | Other Biomass Gas | 2.5 MW | Operating | 1993 |
| GEN3 | Other Waste Biomass | Other Biomass Gas | 2.5 MW | Operating | 1993 |
| CO₂ | 4.8k metric tons |
|---|---|
| SO₂ | 1 metric tons |
| NOₓ | 673 metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 243 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.