California Biomass and Waste-To-Energy Statistics and Data

photo of wood fired biomass plant in Anderson, Calif.
Photo by Warren Gretz NREL 00298

In 2020, biomass-produced electricity in our state totaled 5,628 gigawatt-hours (GWh) or 2.95 percent of California's in-state generation portfolio. A total of 87 operating biomass power plants, with an installed capacity about 1,259 megawatts, are in California.

Biomass power plant is the general term for waste-to-energy power plants that burn organic material. They are comprised of four specific types defined by the fuel they burn:

  • Biomass
  • Digester Gas (Anaerobic Digestion)
  • Landfill Gas
  • Municipal Solid Waste (MSW)
The plant pictured on the right is the Wheelabrator Shasta Energy Company power plant in Anderson, California. It uses forest "residue" that is chipped up - dead and downed trees and slash and debris from logging - as its fuel.

For an animated movie about how a waste-to-energy plant works, go to: http://wheelabratortechnologies.com/index.cfm/plants/how-it-works/

Contact: Michael Nyberg

 

Biomass and Waste-to-Energy Electricity Production
(In Gigawatt-Hours; Includes Imports)


YearCompany NameCEC
Plant ID		Plant NameState Capacity (MW) Gross MWh Net MWh
2020Ameresco IncE0071Ameresco Vasco Road LLCCA4.336,62134,399
2020Ameresco IncE0214Ameresco Santa Cruz EnergyCA3.220,13817,456
2020Ameresco IncE0217Ameresco Keller CanyonCA3.831,47330,040
2020Ameresco IncE0218Ameresco Half Moon Bay (Ox Mountain Landfill)CA11.584,85480,551
2020Ameresco IncE0248Ameresco Butte County Neal Road LandfillCA2.212,09811,200
2020Ameresco IncE0250Ameresco Chiquita EnergyCA9.254,06641,662
2020Ameresco IncE0252Ameresco Forward LLCCA4.335,02532,603
2020Ameresco IncE0253Ameresco San Joaquin LLCCA4.331,39029,498
2020Ameresco IncE0255Ameresco Johnson CanyonCA2.211,40710,570
2020Aria Energy LLCE0305Kiefer Landfill Phase II (KLG2)CA6.048,59543,972
2020Bio Energy Partners/WM Renewable EnergyE0106Altamont Gas RecoveryCA6.247,49936,723
2020Bowerman Power LFGE0226Bowerman Power Landfill GasCA23.6149,840137,603
2020Brea Parent 2007 LLC c/o Broadrock Renewables LLCE0249Brea Expansion Plant - Brea Power II LLCCA32.8261,711222,752
2020Buena Vista Biomass PowerE0201Buena Vista BiomassCA22.500
2020Burney Forest PowerE0005Burney Forest ProductsCA31.0235,477215,948
2020California Bioenergy LLCE0257ABEC Bidart-Old River LLCCA2.013,30012,190
2020California Bioenergy LLCE0306Carlos Echeverria and Sons Dairy BiogasCA1.08,2407,970
2020California Bioenergy LLCE0308Lakeview Farms LLCCA1.06,8706,510
2020California Bioenergy LLCE0309West-Star North DairyCA1.08,1507,920
2020City of Oxnard Wastewater DivisionE0211Oxnard Wastewater Treatment PlantCA1.55,9445,944
2020City of San DiegoE0171Point Loma Wastewater Treatment Plant - Gas Utilization FacilityCA5.029,58225,476
2020City of San DiegoE0244North City Cogeneration Facility Expansion (NCCFE)CA1.66,9376,626
2020City of San Diego Public Utilities DepartmentE0202MM San Diego LLC - North CityCA3.821,72221,128
2020City of Sunnyvale Water Pollution Control PlantE0181Sunnyvale Water Pollution Control PlantCA1.69,2369,236
2020Collins Pine CoE0026Collins Pine Co ProjectCA12.016,76116,761
2020Community Renewable Energy Services IncE0033Dinuba EnergyCA11.500
2020County of Sacramento Department of Waste Management & RecyclingE0203Kiefer Landfill Gas-to-Energy FacilityCA9.174,75667,848
2020Covanta Delano/MendotaE0029Covanta Delano IncCA58.000
2020Covanta Delano/MendotaE0052Covanta Mendota LPCA28.000
2020Covanta Energy IncE0150Stanislaus Resource Recovery FacilityCA24.0172,080148,579
2020Desert View Power (formerly Colmac Energy Inc)E0027Desert View Power (Mecca Plant)CA54.2366,687320,277
2020DTE Biomass Energy IncE0302Potrero Hills Energy Producers LLCCA8.067,17963,562
2020DTE Energy ServicesE0105Woodland Biomass Power LtdCA28.035,56831,127
2020DTE Stockton LLCE0213DTE Stockton (POSDEF Repower C0004)CA50.0406,087380,313
2020East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD)E0036EBMUD Wastewater Treatment Plant Power Generation StationCA6.526,55123,691
2020East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD)E0242EBMUD Wastewater Treatment Plant Digester Gas TurbineCA4.629,83524,714
2020Encina Wastewater AuthorityE0251Encina Water Pollution ControlCA3.014,60114,601
2020Energy 2001 IncE0225Lincoln Landfill - WPWMACA4.931,04929,012
2020EWP Renewable CorpE0037DG Fairhaven Power PlantCA15.09,5608,068
2020Fortistar Methane GroupE0054MM San Diego LLC - Miramar LandfillCA6.550,13347,745
2020Fortistar Methane GroupE0095MM Tajiguas Energy LLCCA3.020,68419,396
2020Fortistar Methane GroupE0132Santa Cruz Energy LLCCA1.611,30210,310
2020Fortistar Methane GroupE0152MM West Covina LLCCA7.148,47142,781
2020Fortistar Methane GroupE0168MM Lopez Energy LLCCA3.025,44824,236
2020Fortistar Methane GroupE0194MM Prima Deshecha Energy LLCCA6.151,27845,733
2020Fortistar Methane GroupE0205Miramar Energy LLC LFGCA3.222,58121,849
2020G2 Energy (Hay Road) LLCE0236Hay RoadCA1.613,07712,548
2020G2 Energy (Ostrom Road) LLCE0237Ostrom RoadCA3.227,96326,913
2020Gas Recovery Systems IncE0075San MarcosCA1.913,80912,612
2020Gas Recovery Systems IncE0094Sycamore Landfill San DiegoCA5.432,79725,242
2020Global Ampersand LLCE0007Merced Power (El Nido)CA12.567,47156,524
2020Global Ampersand LLCE0018Chowchilla II BiomassCA12.574,28061,992
2020HL Power CoE0041HL Power Company (Honey Lake)CA35.5222,551202,803
2020Humboldt Redwood Company, LLCE0063ScotiaCA32.5140,932131,062
2020IHI Power Services CorpE0098Rio Bravo FresnoCA27.8217,749189,792
2020IHI Power Services CorpE0099Rio Bravo RocklinCA27.8202,000177,890
2020IHI Power Services Corp (Pacific Ultrapower Chinese Station)E0100Pacific Ultrapower ChineseCA25.7147,989127,045
2020J&A Santa MariaE0228Santa Maria II LandfillCA1.45,8955,895
2020LandGas Technology LLCE0097Blue LakeCA13.800
2020Los Angeles Department of Water & Power (LADWP)E0153Bradley LandfillCA6.000
2020Madera Power LLCE0050Madera Power (offline 3/28/2012 - repowered 2013)CA25.000
2020Monterey Regional Waste Mgmt DistE0135Marina Landfill Gas (Monterey Regional Waste Management Dst)CA5.139,12939,129
2020MRWPCAE0055Monterey Regional Water Pollution Control CogenCA1.77,6627,662
2020Mt Poso Cogeneration CoE0232Mt. Poso CogenerationCA63.6344,417294,376
2020Orange County Sanitation DistrictE0025Plant No 2CA16.057,89355,214
2020Roseburg Forest ProductsE0243Roseburg Forest Products (Weed Cogeneration Plant)CA13.461,36358,105
2020Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles CountyE0127Puente Hills Energy RecoveryCA50.0229,300206,024
2020Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles CountyE0212Total Energy FacilitiesCA38.4179,071164,277
2020Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles CountyE0227Calabasas Gas-to-Energy FacilityCA13.846,89233,233
2020SERRF Joint Powers AuthorityE0112Southeast Resource RecoveryCA34.6204,753173,187
2020SF Public Utilities CommissionE0110Southeast Digester Gas Cogen PlantCA2.1672672
2020Sierra Pacific Industries IncE0004SPI - LincolnCA19.293,75881,045
2020Sierra Pacific Industries IncE0038SPI - Sonora - Restarted 1/1/2012 (Shut Down 9/28/2009)CA10.948,93738,861
2020Sierra Pacific Industries IncE0078SPI - BurneyCA20.0108,19096,561
2020Sierra Pacific Industries IncE0081SPI - QuincyCA35.3192,772162,757
2020Sierra Pacific Industries IncE0301SPI-Anderson 2CA30.1167,009152,969
2020Sonoma County Department of Transportation and Public WorksE0195Central LF (Sonoma) Phase ICA3.214,89914,577
2020Sonoma County Department of Transportation and Public WorksE0196Central LF (Sonoma) Phase IICA3.211,45411,207
2020Sonoma County Department of Transportation and Public WorksE0197Central LF (Sonoma) Phase IIICA1.600
2020Sunshine Gas Producers LLCE0258Sunshine Gas Producers Renewable Energy ProjectCA23.0166,811136,148
2020Toro Energy of California LLCE0254Cold CanyonCA1.511,45410,758
2020Toyon Landfill Gas Conversion LLCE0143Toyon Landfill Gas Conversion LLC (Indef Shutdown 6/2015)CA3.800
2020Wadham Energy LPE0102WadhamCA29.1163,224146,543
2020West Contra Costa Energy Recovery IncE0137Nove Power PlantCA3.01,8681,384
2020Wheelabrator Technologies IncE0086Wheelabrator ShastaCA62.8311,012277,479
2020WM Renewable EnergyE0304Redwood Renewable Energy FacilityCA4.027,48223,659
2020Yolo County General ServicesE0154MM Yolo Power LLC FacilityCA3.122,60220,694
2020Zero Waste to Energy Development CompanyE0303Zero Waste to EnergyCA1.62,8362,836
 Total1,259.56,332,7615,628,257
 
 

Biomass and Waste-to-Energy Electricity Production
(Annual Totals)


Year Capacity (MW) Gross MWh Net MWh
20201,259.56,332,7615,628,257
20191,303.16,611,4145,877,276
20181,322.76,605,4715,842,360
20171,306.76,564,8555,782,734
20161,321.36,651,3245,849,204
20151,321.07,228,2686,350,802
20141,301.47,670,1506,767,779
20131,215.77,420,2786,543,129
20121,206.16,955,4426,198,798
20111,176.26,773,6826,051,560
20101,127.26,711,3305,990,267
20091,116.86,845,3886,119,952
20081,120.46,590,7795,913,115
20071,093.56,397,0045,764,123
20061,098.76,498,3585,862,603
20051,104.66,807,6796,078,118
20041,106.66,732,5566,081,858
20031,159.76,752,9116,093,587
20021,154.76,901,1726,217,232
20011,176.06,226,6345,781,812
2000N/AN/A6,086,000
1999N/AN/A5,663,000
1998N/AN/A5,266,000
1997N/AN/A5,701,000
1996N/AN/A5,557,000
1995N/AN/A5,969,000
1994N/AN/A7,173,000
1993N/AN/A5,760,000
1992N/AN/A7,362,000
1991N/AN/A7,312,000
1990N/AN/A6,644,000
1989N/AN/A5,204,000
1988N/AN/A4,092,000
1987N/AN/A2,461,000
1986N/AN/A2,063,000
1985N/AN/A1,171,000
1984N/AN/A1,099,000
1983N/AN/A731,000
 

Biomass and Waste-to-Energy Electricity Production by County


County Capacity (MW) Net MWh
Alameda21.6119,527
Amador22.50
Butte2.211,200
Colusa29.1146,543
Contra Costa6.831,424
Fresno55.8189,792
Humboldt61.3139,130
Kern126.6328,966
Lassen35.5202,803
Los Angeles188.9821,548
Madera37.561,992
Marin4.023,659
Merced12.556,524
Monterey9.057,361
Orange78.5461,302
Placer51.9287,947
Plumas47.3179,518
Riverside54.2320,277
Sacramento15.1111,820
San Diego30.4175,279
San Francisco2.1672
San Joaquin58.7442,414
San Luis Obispo1.510,758
San Mateo11.580,551
Santa Barbara4.425,291
Santa Clara3.212,072
Santa Cruz4.827,766
Shasta143.9742,957
Siskiyou13.458,105
Solano9.676,110
Sonoma8.025,784
Stanislaus24.0148,579
Tulare11.50
Tuolumne36.6165,906
Ventura1.55,944
Yolo31.151,821
Yuba3.226,913