515th largest plant in California · 4044th nationally
Sierra Pacific Quincy Facility is a biomass power plant in California with a nameplate capacity of 35.2 MW. It generates roughly 171.5k MWh per year — enough to power about 16,329 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 56% puts it in the middle range — running steadily but not full-time.
Ghost bars are each month's theoretical maximum (35.2 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 | Sierra Pacific Quincy Facility |
|---|---|
| Operator | Sierra Pacific Industries |
| City | Quincy |
| County | Plumas County |
| State | California |
| ZIP | 95971 |
| Coordinates | 39.94116, -120.90921 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GEN3 | Wood/Wood Waste Biomass | Wood/Wood Waste | 35.2 MW | Operating | 2018 |
| GEN1 | Wood/Wood Waste Biomass | Wood/Wood Waste | 20.0 MW | Retired | 1986 |
| GEN2 | Wood/Wood Waste Biomass | Wood/Wood Waste | 7.5 MW | Retired | 1999 |
| SO₂ | 53 metric tons |
|---|---|
| NOₓ | 279 metric tons |
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.