105th largest plant in Washington · 6283rd nationally
Port Townsend Paper is a biomass power plant in Washington with a nameplate capacity of 7.9 MW. It generates roughly 35.3k MWh per year — enough to power about 3,360 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 51% puts it in the middle range — running steadily but not full-time. At 45 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 (7.9 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 | Port Townsend Paper |
|---|---|
| Operator | Port Townsend Paper Co |
| City | Port Townsend |
| County | Jefferson County |
| State | Washington |
| ZIP | 98368 |
| Coordinates | 48.09310, -122.79580 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GEN6 | Wood/Wood Waste Biomass | Black Liquor | 7.5 MW | Operating | 1986 |
| GEN2 | Wood/Wood Waste Biomass | Black Liquor | 3.0 MW | Retired | 1929 |
| GEN4 | Wood/Wood Waste Biomass | Black Liquor | 3.0 MW | Retired | 1929 |
| HDRO | Conventional Hydroelectric | Water | 0.4 MW | Operating | 1982 |
| CO₂ | 796 metric tons |
|---|---|
| SO₂ | 48 metric tons |
| NOₓ | 13 metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 45 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 | Bonneville Power Administration |
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.