387th largest plant in California · 3467th nationally
Wheelabrator Shasta is a biomass power plant in California with a nameplate capacity of 54.9 MW. It generates roughly 288.2k MWh per year — enough to power about 27,444 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 60% puts it in the middle range — running steadily but not full-time.
Ghost bars are each month's theoretical maximum (54.9 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 | Wheelabrator Shasta |
|---|---|
| Operator | Shasta Sustainable Resource Management, Inc. |
| City | Anderson |
| County | Shasta County |
| State | California |
| ZIP | 96007 |
| Coordinates | 40.42833, -122.27925 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GEN1 | Wood/Wood Waste Biomass | Wood/Wood Waste | 18.3 MW | Operating | 1987 |
| GEN2 | Wood/Wood Waste Biomass | Wood/Wood Waste | 18.3 MW | Operating | 1987 |
| GEN3 | Wood/Wood Waste Biomass | Wood/Wood Waste | 18.3 MW | Operating | 1987 |
| GEN4 | Wood/Wood Waste Biomass | Wood/Wood Waste | 7.8 MW | Retired | 2000 |
| SO₂ | 65 metric tons |
|---|---|
| NOₓ | 382 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.