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Blackburn Meadows

Biomass power plant in England, United Kingdom. Approximate location 53.4201, -1.3985.

BiomassEnglandUnited Kingdom

Blackburn Meadows is a 30 MW biomass power plant in England, United Kingdom. It is operated by E.On. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 41k homes (estimated). It ranks #385 of 2,860 United Kingdom power plants by installed capacity. In context, biomass supplies about 14.1% of United Kingdom's electricity; the national grid averages 217 gCO₂/kWh (64.4% low-carbon) (2025).

30Source-backed capacity
41,297homes powered (est.)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id GBR0000166.

Data status

Known data

FacilityBlackburn Meadows WRI
CountryUnited Kingdom · England WRI
Coordinates53.4201, -1.3985 WRI
FuelBiomass WRI
MW installed capacity30 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerE.On WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#385 of 2860 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#16 of 227 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers13.04× · 2 MW median · 227 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent41,297 calculated
Climate9.0°C · HDD 3,269 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 25/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

CommissionedNot available not in dataset
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 30 MW, Blackburn Meadows is well above the median biomass plant in United Kingdom (2 MW). Biomass plants burn organic material such as wood, residues or waste-derived fuel to raise steam; they are dispatchable and counted as low-carbon where the feedstock is sustainably sourced.

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

Capacity vs largest biomass plants in United Kingdom

Drax: 1,980 MW2kDraxSAICA Paper Mill: 135 MW135SAICA Pape…Ferrybridge Multi-fuel: 79 MW79Ferrybridg…Iggesund Paperboard CHP Plant: 49 MW49Iggesund P…Snetterton Biomass Plant: 44 MW44Snetterton…Tilbury Green Power: 43 MW43Tilbury Gr…Templeborough Biomass Power Plant- Rotherham: 42 MW42Templeboro…Thetford: 42 MW42Thetford

Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by E.On. All plants by this company →

Local climate & thermal context

This biomass plant burns organic material (wood, residues) to raise steam for a turbine. It sits in a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 53.4°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

9.0°Cannual mean temp
3,269heating degree-days (base 18°C)
0cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
109 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 4 °CJF: 3 °CFM: 6 °CMA: 7 °CAM: 10 °CMJ: 14 °CJJ: 16 °CJA: 16 °CAS: 13 °CSO: 10 °CON: 6 °CND: 4 °CD16 °C

Heating degree-days here run 33% above 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: 70/100 — this site sits in the top 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)
25/100environmental-severity index
12.4°Cseasonal temperature swing
125 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 #16 largest biomass power plant of 227 in United Kingdom by capacity.

United Kingdom has 227 biomass power plants in this dataset, together about 3,654 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 53.4201, -1.3985 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Blackburn Meadows?

Blackburn Meadows is a 30 MW source-record biomass power plant in England, United Kingdom.

How many homes can Blackburn Meadows power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 41,297 homes (estimated).

Who operates Blackburn Meadows?

Blackburn Meadows is operated by E.On.

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