13th largest plant in Maine · 2348th nationally
Somerset Plant is a biomass power plant in Maine with a nameplate capacity of 107 MW. It generates roughly 485.4k MWh per year — enough to power about 46,232 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 52% puts it in the middle range — running steadily but not full-time. At 167 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 (107 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 | Somerset Plant |
|---|---|
| Operator | Sappi Fine Paper North America-Somerset |
| City | Skowhegan |
| County | Somerset County |
| State | Maine |
| ZIP | 04976 |
| Coordinates | 44.70347, -69.64744 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GEN2 | Wood/Wood Waste Biomass | Black Liquor | 61.2 MW | Operating | 1990 |
| GEN1 | Wood/Wood Waste Biomass | Black Liquor | 45.9 MW | Operating | 1976 |
| CO₂ | 40.5k metric tons |
|---|---|
| SO₂ | 378 metric tons |
| NOₓ | 310 metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 167 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 | NPCC |
|---|---|
| Balancing Authority | Iso New England 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.