Skookumchuk — Canada
Biomass power plant in British Columbia, Canada. Approximate location 49.5284, -115.7578.
BiomassBritish ColumbiaCanada
Skookumchuk is a 51 MW biomass power plant in British Columbia, Canada. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 70k homes (estimated). It ranks #419 of 1,210 Canada power plants by installed capacity. In context, biomass supplies about 1.6% of Canada's electricity; the national grid averages 191 gCO₂/kWh (77.0% low-carbon) (2025).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id CAN0008374.
Data status
Known data
Calculated from dataset
Not available
Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.
Data provenance
Capacity and fuel are the upstream open-dataset record, not yet matched to a 2026 registry or GEM entry.
capacity: WRI GPPD; fuel: WRI GPPD
In context: how this plant compares
At 51 MW, Skookumchuk is well above the median biomass plant in Canada (15 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.
Key facts
- Share of Canada biomass capacity
- 1.9% of 2,742 MW across 111 plants in this dataset
Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).
Capacity vs largest biomass plants in Canada
Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Local climate & thermal context
This biomass plant burns organic material (wood, residues) to raise steam for a turbine. It sits in a subarctic (boreal) climate (Köppen Dfc) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 49.5°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.
Monthly mean temperature
Heating degree-days here run 109% 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: 95/100 — 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
This site sits in a mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — Low), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.
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 111 in Canada by capacity.
Canada has 111 biomass power plants in this dataset, together about 2,742 MW of capacity.
Nearby power plants
- Kimberley · Solar · 1 MW · British Columbia
- Aberfeldie · Hydro · 24 MW · British Columbia
- Elko · Hydro · 12 MW · British Columbia
- Crowsnest Pass ERG · Other · 11 MW · British Columbia
- Smith Falls Hydro Project · Hydro · 38.1 MW · British Columbia
- Moyie Springs · Hydro · 3.9 MW · Idaho
Location
Coordinates 49.5284, -115.7578 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Skookumchuk?
Skookumchuk is a 51 MW biomass power plant in British Columbia, Canada.