57th largest plant in South Carolina · 3882nd nationally
Sonoco Products Co is a biomass power plant in South Carolina with a nameplate capacity of 40.5 MW. It generates roughly 57.7k MWh per year — enough to power about 5,498 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 16% reflects intermittent or peaking operation. At 143 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 (40.5 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 | Sonoco Products Co |
|---|---|
| Operator | Sonoco Products Co |
| City | Hartsville |
| County | Darlington County |
| State | South Carolina |
| ZIP | 29550 |
| Coordinates | 34.38528, -80.06778 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Wood/Wood Waste Biomass | Wood/Wood Waste | 28.0 MW | Operating | 1957 |
| 3 | Wood/Wood Waste Biomass | Wood/Wood Waste | 10.0 MW | Operating | 1947 |
| 2 | Natural Gas Steam Turbine | Natural Gas | 2.5 MW | Standby | 1950 |
| CO₂ | 4.1k metric tons |
|---|---|
| SO₂ | 4 metric tons |
| NOₓ | 22 metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 143 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 | SERC |
|---|---|
| Balancing Authority | Duke Energy Progress East |
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.