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Discovery Park

Biomass power plant in England, United Kingdom. Approximate location 51.2839, 1.3457.

BiomassEnglandUnited KingdomCO₂ measured

Discovery Park is a 16 MW biomass power plant in England, United Kingdom. It is operated by Burmeister & Wain Scandinavian Contractor (BWSC). Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 22k homes (estimated). It ranks #672 of 2,860 United Kingdom power plants by installed capacity. Its annual emissions of 1,355 t CO₂/yr (EU ETS) are equivalent to about 316 cars driven for a year. In context, biomass supplies about 14.1% of United Kingdom's electricity; the national grid averages 217 gCO₂/kWh (64.4% low-carbon) (2025).

16Legacy source-record capacity
22,025homes powered (est.)
1,355t CO₂ / yr (EU ETS)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id GBR2001005.

Data status

Known data

FacilityDiscovery Park WRI
CountryUnited Kingdom · England WRI
Coordinates51.2839, 1.3457 WRI
FuelBiomass WRI
MW installed capacity16 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerBurmeister & Wain Scandinavian Contractor (BWSC) WRI
CO₂ emissions1,355 t CO₂/yr measured · EU ETS

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#672 of 2860 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#29 of 227 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers6.96× · 2 MW median · 227 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent22,025 calculated
Climate10.3°C · HDD 2,782 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 35/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

CommissionedNot available not in dataset
TechnologyNot available not in dataset
GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset

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

Data provenance

The capacity and fuel fields on this page are source-record values from the upstream open dataset. They are useful for identification and ranking, but they have not been upgraded to a 2026 registry/GEM-location verified value.

capacity: WRI Global Power Plant Database source-record (legacy); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 16 MW, Discovery Park 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.

1,355 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

316passenger cars driven for a year
177homes' yearly energy use
23ktree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

Equivalencies via US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies; emissions per EU ETS (measured for US EPA/EU ETS, modelled for Climate TRACE).

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 Burmeister & Wain Scandinavian Contractor (BWSC).

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 51.3°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

10.3°Cannual mean temp
2,782heating degree-days (base 18°C)
0cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
19 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 5 °CJF: 4 °CFM: 6 °CMA: 8 °CAM: 12 °CMJ: 14 °CJJ: 17 °CJA: 17 °CAS: 15 °CSO: 12 °CON: 8 °CND: 6 °CD17 °C

Heating degree-days here run 13% 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: 57/100 — 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 corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), with marine corrosion the leading environmental stress.

C4ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
35/100environmental-severity index
12.8°Cseasonal temperature swing
7 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 #29 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 51.2839, 1.3457 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Discovery Park?

Discovery Park is a 16 MW source-record biomass power plant in England, United Kingdom.

How many homes can Discovery Park power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 22,025 homes (estimated).

Who operates Discovery Park?

Discovery Park is operated by Burmeister & Wain Scandinavian Contractor (BWSC).

How much CO₂ does Discovery Park emit?

Discovery Park has measured emissions of about 1,355 tonnes of CO₂ per year (EU ETS).

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