588th largest plant in Texas · 4402nd nationally
Rio Grande Valley Sugar Growers is a biomass power plant in Texas with a nameplate capacity of 24.9 MW. It generates roughly 78 MWh per year — enough to power about 7 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 0% reflects intermittent or peaking operation. At 129 lb CO₂/MWh, its emission rate sits below the national grid average of roughly 800 lb/MWh.
| Plant Name | Rio Grande Valley Sugar Growers |
|---|---|
| Operator | Rio Grande Valley Sugar Growers, Inc. |
| City | Santa Rosa |
| County | Hidalgo County |
| State | Texas |
| ZIP | 78593 |
| Coordinates | 26.26968, -97.86701 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GEND | Other Waste Biomass | AB | 16.0 MW | Retired | 2009 |
| GENA | Other Waste Biomass | AB | 2.5 MW | Retired | 1973 |
| GENB | Other Waste Biomass | AB | 2.5 MW | Retired | 1973 |
| GENC | Other Waste Biomass | AB | 2.5 MW | Retired | 1995 |
| GENE | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 1.4 MW | Retired | 2011 |
| CO₂ | 5 metric tons |
|---|---|
| CO₂ Rate | 129 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 | TRE |
|---|---|
| Balancing Authority | Electric Reliability Council Of Texas, Inc. |
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.