726th largest plant in California · 5061st nationally
Plant No 2 Orange County is a biomass power plant in California with a nameplate capacity of 16.0 MW. It generates roughly 59.0k MWh per year — enough to power about 5,617 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 42% puts it in the middle range — running steadily but not full-time. At 245 lb CO₂/MWh, its emission rate sits below the national grid average of roughly 800 lb/MWh.
| Plant Name | Plant No 2 Orange County |
|---|---|
| Operator | Orange County Sanitation Dist |
| City | Huntington Beach |
| County | Orange County |
| State | California |
| ZIP | 92646 |
| Coordinates | 33.64330, -117.95560 |
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 | 3.0 MW | Operating | 1993 |
| GEN2 | Other Waste Biomass | Other Biomass Gas | 3.0 MW | Operating | 1993 |
| GEN3 | Other Waste Biomass | Other Biomass Gas | 3.0 MW | Operating | 1993 |
| GEN4 | Other Waste Biomass | Other Biomass Gas | 3.0 MW | Operating | 1993 |
| GEN5 | Other Waste Biomass | Other Biomass Gas | 3.0 MW | Operating | 1993 |
| GEN6 | All Other | Other | 1.0 MW | Operating | 1993 |
| CO₂ | 7.2k metric tons |
|---|---|
| SO₂ | 2 metric tons |
| NOₓ | 866 metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 245 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.