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Puente Hills Energy Recovery50 MW Waste

Waste

Puente Hills Energy Recovery is a 50 MW waste-to-energy plant in the United States, operated by Los Angeles County Sanitation since 1986. Ranked #61 of 541 waste plants in the United States. Its 50 MW accounts for 0.51% of the country's total waste capacity of 9,769 MW. The largest waste plant in the United States is Covington Facility at 161 MW, making Puente Hills 3.2 times smaller. Nearby plants within 50 km include Alamitos Generating Station (1,893 MW, Gas), Haynes (1,739 MW, Gas), and AES Alamitos LLC (1,115 MW, Gas). The facility is located in California, approximately 30 km southeast of downtown Los Angeles.

Capacity
50 MW
Commissioning Year
1986

40 years old

Owner
Los Angeles County Sanitation
Location
34.0233°, -118.0241°

United States of America, North America

Location

Coordinates:: 34.023300, -118.024100
Open in Google Maps
Carbon Footprint330 g CO₂/kWh
Annual CO₂
101.2 Kt
307 GWh/year × 330 g/kWh
Cumulative CO₂
4.05 Mt
Over 40 years of operation
Past Retirement
2011
15 years past expected retirement
Annual emissions equivalent to
22.0K
cars per year
13.5K
homes per year
4.6M
trees to offset

Estimates based on Waste emission factor (330 g CO₂/kWh) and capacity factor (70%). Actual emissions may vary based on operating conditions, efficiency, and fuel quality.

Technical Details

Primary Fuel Type
Waste
Energy Source
Non-Renewable
Country
United States of America
Continent
North America
Data Source
Global Power Plant Database

United States of AmericaEnergy Profile

10,047
Total Plants
1386.4 GW
Total Capacity
GasCoalNuclearHydro
Top Fuels

Waste as a Power Generation Energy Source: An Overview

Waste power generation, also known as waste-to-energy (WtE), is an innovative approach that transforms municipal solid waste into electricity and heat through various technological processes. As of now, there are approximately 1,068 waste power plants operating across 18 countries, boasting a total installed capacity of around 14.7 gigawatts (GW). The United States leads the way with 541 plants generating 9.8 GW, followed by the United Kingdom with 329 plants at 1.9 GW, and Germany with 66 plants producing 1.6 GW. Other notable contributors include Spain and Belgium, with 15 and 8 plants respectively, though their capacities are comparatively lower.

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