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Hillsborough County Resource Recovery

Waste power plant in Florida, United States of America. Approximate location 27.9549, -82.3405.

WasteFloridaUnited States of AmericaCO₂ modelled

Hillsborough County Resource Recovery is a 47 MW waste power plant in Florida, United States of America. It is operated by Hillsborough County. Based on reported annual generation of 208 GWh, it can supply roughly 60k homes. It ranks #3826 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1995, it is around 31 years old — long-established. Its modelled annual emissions are 394,170 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 92k cars driven for a year. In context, the national grid averages 384 gCO₂/kWh (43.0% low-carbon) (2025).

47Source-backed capacity
208GWh reported / yr
59,514homes powered
394,170t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)
1995commissioned (~31 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0050858.

Data status

Known data

FacilityHillsborough County Resource Recovery WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Florida WRI
Coordinates27.9549, -82.3405 WRI
FuelWaste WRI
MW installed capacity47 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerHillsborough County WRI
Commissioned1995 WRI
GWh reported / yr208 GWh/yr WRI

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions394,170 t CO₂/yr modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#3826 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#72 of 551 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers7.12× · 7 MW median · 551 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent59,514 calculated from reported generation
Climate22.5°C · HDD 134 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC5 · 52/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

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/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 47 MW, Hillsborough County Resource Recovery is well above 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.

~394,170 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

92kpassenger cars driven for a year
51khomes' yearly energy use
6.6 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

Equivalencies via US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies; modelled emissions from Climate TRACE.

Reported generation trend

2013: 310 GWh20132014: 283 GWh20142015: 273 GWh20152016: 273 GWh20162017: 266 GWh20172018: 247 GWh20182019: 208 GWh2019310 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Hillsborough 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 28.0°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

22.5°Cannual mean temp
134heating degree-days (base 18°C)
1,775cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
25 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 16 °CJF: 17 °CFM: 19 °CMA: 22 °CAM: 25 °CMJ: 27 °CJJ: 28 °CJA: 28 °CAS: 27 °CSO: 24 °CON: 20 °CND: 17 °CD28 °C

Heating degree-days here run 95% 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: 16/100 — 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)
52/100environmental-severity index
12.0°Cseasonal temperature swing
11 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 #72 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 27.9549, -82.3405 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Hillsborough County Resource Recovery?

Hillsborough County Resource Recovery is a 47 MW source-record waste power plant in Florida, United States of America, commissioned in 1995.

How much electricity does Hillsborough County Resource Recovery generate?

Hillsborough County Resource Recovery generates about 208 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Hillsborough County Resource Recovery power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 59,514 homes.

Who operates Hillsborough County Resource Recovery?

Hillsborough County Resource Recovery is operated by Hillsborough County.

How much CO₂ does Hillsborough County Resource Recovery emit?

Hillsborough County Resource Recovery has modelled emissions of about 394,170 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

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