560th largest plant in California · 4280th nationally
Rio Bravo Rocklin is a biomass power plant in California with a nameplate capacity of 27.9 MW. It generates roughly 146.6k MWh per year — enough to power about 13,964 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 60% 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 (27.9 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 | Rio Bravo Rocklin |
|---|---|
| Operator | Rio Bravo Rocklin |
| City | Lincoln |
| County | Placer County |
| State | California |
| ZIP | 95648 |
| Coordinates | 38.83190, -121.31365 |
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 | 27.9 MW | Operating | 1989 |
| CO₂ | 3.3k metric tons |
|---|---|
| SO₂ | 32 metric tons |
| NOₓ | 107 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 | 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.