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Fernandina Beach Mill

Biomass power plant in Florida, United States of America. Approximate location 30.6818, -81.4554.

BiomassFloridaUnited States of America

Fernandina Beach Mill is a 97 MW biomass power plant in Florida, United States of America. It is operated by WestRock Fernandina Beach. Based on reported annual generation of 634 GWh, it can supply roughly 181k homes. It ranks #2911 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1984, it is around 42 years old — long-established. In context, biomass supplies about 1.0% of United States of America's electricity; the national grid averages 384 gCO₂/kWh (43.0% low-carbon) (2025).

97Source-backed capacity
634GWh reported / yr
181,171homes powered
1984commissioned (~42 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0010202.

Data status

Known data

FacilityFernandina Beach Mill WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Florida WRI
Coordinates30.6818, -81.4554 WRI
FuelBiomass WRI
MW installed capacity97 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerWestRock Fernandina Beach WRI
Commissioned1984 WRI
GWh reported / yr634 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#2911 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#17 of 184 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers5.41× · 18 MW median · 184 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent181,171 calculated from reported generation
Climate20.3°C · HDD 533 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC5 · 49/100 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 97 MW, Fernandina Beach Mill is well above the median biomass plant in United States of America (18 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.

Reported generation trend

2013: 597 GWh20132014: 624 GWh20142015: 632 GWh20152016: 660 GWh20162017: 641 GWh20172018: 688 GWh20182019: 634 GWh2019688 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by WestRock Fernandina Beach.

Local climate & thermal context

This biomass plant burns organic material (wood, residues) to raise steam for a turbine. It sits in a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 30.7°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

20.3°Cannual mean temp
533heating degree-days (base 18°C)
1,404cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
4 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 12 °CJF: 13 °CFM: 16 °CMA: 20 °CAM: 23 °CMJ: 26 °CJJ: 28 °CJA: 27 °CAS: 26 °CSO: 22 °CON: 17 °CND: 13 °CD28 °C

Heating degree-days here run 78% 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: 21/100 — this site sits in the bottom 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 an aggressive, high-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C5 — Very high), with marine salt corrosion the leading environmental stress.

C5ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
49/100environmental-severity index
15.9°Cseasonal temperature swing
48 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 #17 largest biomass power plant of 184 in United States of America by capacity.

United States of America has 184 biomass power plants in this dataset, together about 6,324 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 30.6818, -81.4554 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Fernandina Beach Mill?

Fernandina Beach Mill is a 97 MW source-record biomass power plant in Florida, United States of America, commissioned in 1984.

How much electricity does Fernandina Beach Mill generate?

Fernandina Beach Mill generates about 634 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Fernandina Beach Mill power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 181,171 homes.

Who operates Fernandina Beach Mill?

Fernandina Beach Mill is operated by WestRock Fernandina Beach.

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