Buena Vista Biomass Power — United States of America

Buena Vista Biomass Power is a 22.5 MW waste power plant in California, United States of America. It is operated by Buena Vista Biomass LLC. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 31k homes (estimated). It ranks #4532 of 10,884 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2013, it is around 13 years old — relatively modern. In context, the national grid averages 384 gCO₂/kWh (43.0% low-carbon) (2025).

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0058472.

Data provenance

Capacity and fuel are the upstream open-dataset record, not yet matched to a 2026 registry or GEM entry.

capacity: WRI GPPD; fuel: WRI GPPD

In context: how this plant compares

At 22.5 MW, Buena Vista Biomass Power is well above the median waste plant in United States of America (6.6 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.

Key facts

Generation trend

67 GWh in 2013 and 17 GWh in 2016 (−74%)

Highest and lowest year

2015: 108 GWh; 2016: 17 GWh

Share of United States of America waste capacity

0.2% of 10,154 MW across 551 plants in this dataset

Age among peers

458 of 541 dated waste plants in United States of America are older

Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).

Reported generation trend

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

Owner

Operated by Buena Vista Biomass LLC.

Local climate & thermal context

This waste plant recovers energy by combusting municipal or industrial waste. It sits in a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 38.3°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

Monthly mean temperature

Heating degree-days here run 39% 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: 34/100 — 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

This site sits in a mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — Low), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

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 #137 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

• Pardee · Hydro · 23.6 MW · California
• Camanche · Hydro · 10.8 MW · California
• New Hogan Power Plant · Hydro · 3 MW · California
• Rancho Seco Solar LLC · Solar · 10.8 MW · California
• Rancho Seco nuclear power plant · Nuclear · 917 MW · California
• Cosumnes · Gas · 556.8 MW · California

Location

Coordinates 38.2778, -120.9136 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions