66th largest plant in Virginia · 3160th nationally
Southampton Power Station is a biomass power plant in Virginia with a nameplate capacity of 71.1 MW. It generates roughly 340.0k MWh per year — enough to power about 32,381 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 55% puts it in the middle range — running steadily but not full-time. At 18 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 (71.1 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 | Southampton Power Station |
|---|---|
| Operator | Virginia Electric & Power Co |
| City | Franklin |
| County | Southampton County |
| State | Virginia |
| ZIP | 23851 |
| Coordinates | 36.65250, -76.99530 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wood/Wood Waste Biomass | Wood/Wood Waste | 71.1 MW | Operating | 1992 |
| CO₂ | 3.0k metric tons |
|---|---|
| SO₂ | 17 metric tons |
| NOₓ | 326 metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 18 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 | Pjm Interconnection, Llc |
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.