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Regional Waste Systems

Waste power plant in Maine, United States of America. Approximate location 43.6556, -70.3347.

WasteMaineUnited States of AmericaCO₂ modelled

Regional Waste Systems is a 13 MW waste power plant in Maine, United States of America. It is operated by Ecomaine. Based on reported annual generation of 79 GWh, it can supply roughly 23k homes. It ranks #5326 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1988, it is around 38 years old — long-established. Its modelled annual emissions are 111,546 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 26k cars driven for a year. In context, the national grid averages 384 gCO₂/kWh (43.0% low-carbon) (2025).

13Source-backed capacity
79GWh reported / yr
22,685homes powered
111,546t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)
1988commissioned (~38 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0050225.

Data status

Known data

FacilityRegional Waste Systems WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Maine WRI
Coordinates43.6556, -70.3347 WRI
FuelWaste WRI
MW installed capacity13 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerEcomaine WRI
Commissioned1988 WRI
GWh reported / yr79 GWh/yr WRI

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions111,546 t CO₂/yr modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#5326 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#189 of 551 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers2.02× · 7 MW median · 551 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent22,685 calculated from reported generation
Climate8.0°C · HDD 3,779 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 38/100 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 13 MW, Regional Waste Systems 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.

~111,546 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

26kpassenger cars driven for a year
15khomes' yearly energy use
1.9 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

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

Reported generation trend

2013: 89 GWh20132014: 88 GWh20142015: 78 GWh20152016: 92 GWh20162017: 83 GWh20172018: 84 GWh20182019: 79 GWh201992 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Ecomaine.

Local climate & thermal context

This waste plant recovers energy by combusting municipal or industrial waste. It sits in a warm-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 43.7°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

8.0°Cannual mean temp
3,779heating degree-days (base 18°C)
138cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
15 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -5 °CJF: -4 °CFM: 1 °CMA: 7 °CAM: 12 °CMJ: 17 °CJJ: 20 °CJA: 20 °CAS: 15 °CSO: 10 °CON: 4 °CND: -2 °CD20 °C

Heating degree-days here run 54% 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: 81/100 — 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 corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), with thermal cycling the leading environmental stress.

C4ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
38/100environmental-severity index
25.9°Cseasonal temperature swing
47 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 #189 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 43.6556, -70.3347 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Regional Waste Systems?

Regional Waste Systems is a 13 MW source-record waste power plant in Maine, United States of America, commissioned in 1988.

How much electricity does Regional Waste Systems generate?

Regional Waste Systems generates about 79 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Regional Waste Systems power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 22,685 homes.

Who operates Regional Waste Systems?

Regional Waste Systems is operated by Ecomaine.

How much CO₂ does Regional Waste Systems emit?

Regional Waste Systems has modelled emissions of about 111,546 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

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