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SEMASS Resource Recovery

Waste power plant in Massachusetts, United States of America. Approximate location 41.8022, -70.7875.

WasteMassachusettsUnited States of AmericaCO₂ modelled

SEMASS Resource Recovery is a 98 MW waste power plant in Massachusetts, United States of America. It is operated by SEMASS Partnership. Based on reported annual generation of 584 GWh, it can supply roughly 167k homes. It ranks #2894 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1989, it is around 37 years old — long-established. Its modelled annual emissions are 826,080 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 193k cars driven for a year. In context, the national grid averages 384 gCO₂/kWh (43.0% low-carbon) (2025).

98Legacy source-record capacity
584GWh reported / yr
166,771homes powered
826,080t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)
1989commissioned (~37 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0050290.

Data status

Known data

FacilitySEMASS Resource Recovery WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Massachusetts WRI
Coordinates41.8022, -70.7875 WRI
FuelWaste WRI
MW installed capacity98 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerSEMASS Partnership WRI
Commissioned1989 WRI
GWh reported / yr584 GWh/yr WRI

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions826,080 t CO₂/yr modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#2894 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#12 of 551 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers14.92× · 7 MW median · 551 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent166,771 calculated from reported generation
Climate10.0°C · HDD 3,146 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 35/100 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 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 98 MW, SEMASS 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.

~826,080 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

193kpassenger cars driven for a year
108khomes' yearly energy use
14 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

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

Reported generation trend

2013: 589 GWh20132014: 604 GWh20142015: 588 GWh20152016: 588 GWh20162017: 584 GWh20172018: 568 GWh20182019: 584 GWh2019604 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by SEMASS Partnership.

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 41.8°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

10.0°Cannual mean temp
3,146heating degree-days (base 18°C)
248cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
16 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -2 °CJF: -1 °CFM: 3 °CMA: 8 °CAM: 14 °CMJ: 19 °CJJ: 22 °CJA: 21 °CAS: 17 °CSO: 11 °CON: 6 °CND: 1 °CD22 °C

Heating degree-days here run 28% 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: 66/100 — 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 moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C3ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
35/100environmental-severity index
24.0°Cseasonal temperature swing
62 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 #12 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 41.8022, -70.7875 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is SEMASS Resource Recovery?

SEMASS Resource Recovery is a 98 MW source-record waste power plant in Massachusetts, United States of America, commissioned in 1989.

How much electricity does SEMASS Resource Recovery generate?

SEMASS Resource Recovery generates about 584 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can SEMASS Resource Recovery power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 166,771 homes.

Who operates SEMASS Resource Recovery?

SEMASS Resource Recovery is operated by SEMASS Partnership.

How much CO₂ does SEMASS Resource Recovery emit?

SEMASS Resource Recovery has modelled emissions of about 826,080 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

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