Home / North America / United States of America / Blackburn Landfill Co-Generation

Blackburn Landfill Co-Generation

Waste power plant in North Carolina, United States of America. Approximate location 35.6067, -81.3006.

WasteNorth CarolinaUnited States of America

Blackburn Landfill Co-Generation is a 3 MW waste power plant in North Carolina, United States of America. It is operated by Catawba County. Based on reported annual generation of 14 GWh, it can supply roughly 4.0k homes. It ranks #8344 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2000, it is around 26 years old — long-established. In context, the national grid averages 384 gCO₂/kWh (43.0% low-carbon) (2025).

3Source-backed capacity
14GWh reported / yr
4,028homes powered
2000commissioned (~26 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0055488.

Data status

Known data

FacilityBlackburn Landfill Co-Generation WRI
CountryUnited States of America · North Carolina WRI
Coordinates35.6067, -81.3006 WRI
FuelWaste WRI
MW installed capacity3 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerCatawba County WRI
Commissioned2000 WRI
GWh reported / yr14 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#8344 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#472 of 551 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.44× · 7 MW median · 551 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent4,028 calculated from reported generation
Climate14.6°C · HDD 1,905 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 34/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

TechnologyNot available not in dataset
GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset
CO₂ emissionsNot available not in dataset

Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.

Data provenance

The capacity and/or fuel fields on this page include a source-backed provenance label from GEM, an official registry, Wikidata, OSM, or a cross-source match.

capacity: Wikidata P2109 nameplate capacity; fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 3 MW, Blackburn Landfill Co-Generation is below the median waste plant in United States of America (7 MW). Waste-to-energy plants burn municipal solid waste to generate electricity and heat, cutting landfill volume while recovering energy from residual waste.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

Reported generation trend

2013: 21 GWh20132014: 21 GWh20142015: 20 GWh20152016: 17 GWh20162017: 18 GWh20172018: 16 GWh20182019: 14 GWh201921 GWh

Annual generation (GWh), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by Catawba County.

Local climate & thermal context

This waste plant recovers energy by combusting municipal or industrial waste. It sits in a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 35.6°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

14.6°Cannual mean temp
1,905heating degree-days (base 18°C)
692cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
273 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 4 °CJF: 6 °CFM: 10 °CMA: 14 °CAM: 19 °CMJ: 23 °CJJ: 25 °CJA: 24 °CAS: 21 °CSO: 15 °CON: 10 °CND: 5 °CD25 °C

Heating degree-days here run 22% below the median power plant in this dataset — a proxy for how much extra energy heated equipment must replace through its surfaces in winter.

Climate heat-demand index: 41/100 — this site sits in the mid third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.

Site climate & environmental severity

For a plant’s outdoor hardware — heat-recovery steam generators (HRSG), expansion joints, valves, flanges and their insulation — the local climate sets how fast unprotected steel and coatings degrade. This site sits in a moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C3ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
34/100environmental-severity index
21.7°Cseasonal temperature swing
319 kmdistance to coast

Higher environmental severity is exactly where protective removable insulation pays back most: a sheltered micro-climate slows corrosion, UV and thermal-cycling damage and extends outdoor hardware service life. This is an indicative site-climate context — not a condition assessment of any specific plant or operator.

Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #472 largest waste power plant of 551 in United States of America by capacity.

United States of America has 551 waste power plants in this dataset, together about 10,154 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 35.6067, -81.3006 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Blackburn Landfill Co-Generation?

Blackburn Landfill Co-Generation is a 3 MW source-record waste power plant in North Carolina, United States of America, commissioned in 2000.

How much electricity does Blackburn Landfill Co-Generation generate?

Blackburn Landfill Co-Generation generates about 14 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Blackburn Landfill Co-Generation power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 4,028 homes.

Who operates Blackburn Landfill Co-Generation?

Blackburn Landfill Co-Generation is operated by Catawba County.

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