MEAD COATED BOARD
OperatingBiomass power plant
- Capacity
- 113 MW
- Primary fuel
- Biomass
- County
- Russell County
- Operator
- MEAD COATED BOARD INC
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 1966
- EIA plant ID
- 54802
- Generators
- 3
- Technology
- Wood/Wood Waste Biomass
- Net generation (2024)
- 743 GWh
- Capacity factor (2024, EIA nameplate)
- 70%
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 32.1764, -85.0271
MEAD COATED BOARD, a 113 MW Biomass power plant in Russell County, Alabama. Operated by MEAD COATED BOARD INC, commissioned 1966.
How MEAD COATED BOARD compares
With 113 MW of capacity, MEAD COATED BOARD ranks 33rd among the 64 operating power plants Bywatts maps in Alabama and is the largest of the 10 operating Biomass plants in the state. It accounts for about 19% of Alabama's operating Biomass capacity and 0.4% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 12th-largest of the 350 operating Biomass plants in the database. Commissioned in 1966, it is older than 64% of the 64 operating Alabama plants with a recorded commissioning year.
EIA-860 lists 3 generators at the site with 121 MW of nameplate capacity, mainly wood/wood waste biomass technology. Net generation was 743 GWh in 2024 (a 70% capacity factor), about the same as in 2022. Its generators came online between 1966 and 1998.
Grid neighborhood
The closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 115 kV line owned by ALABAMA POWER CO, under 0.1 miles away. Another 2 operating power plants totaling 90 MW sit within 25 miles; the largest is OLIVER DAM (60 MW, Hydro).
Computed by Bywatts from HIFLD power plant and transmission line records and EIA-860/923 survey data; distances are straight-line. Sources and methodology
Weather peril exposure
MEAD COATED BOARD is a 113 MW biomass power plant in Russell County, AL, operated by MEAD COATED BOARD INC, commissioned in 1966. Russell County carries low modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 1.8 of 5 at the 20th national percentile. Lightning is the leading peril, rated Relatively High by FEMA at the 79th percentile.
The Bywatts loss layer is calibrated to solar PV hardware, so it is not applied to a biomass plant. The ratings below are the FEMA National Risk Index county hazard ratings for this location.
Russell County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lightning | Relatively High | 79th | 4.2 of 5 | 67.4 |
| Hurricane | Relatively Low | 75th | 4.0 of 5 | 0.10 |
| Riverine flooding | Relatively Low | 72nd | 3.9 of 5 | 0.71 |
| Earthquake | Very Low | 44th | 2.8 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 43rd | 2.7 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Heat wave | Relatively Low | 40th | 2.6 of 5 | 8.3 |
| Ice storm | Relatively Low | 34th | 2.3 of 5 | 0.51 |
| Hail | Relatively Low | 30th | 2.2 of 5 | 2.3 |
| Winter weather | Very Low | 28th | 2.1 of 5 | 0.95 |
| Strong wind | Relatively Low | 21st | 1.8 of 5 | 1.4 |
| Tornado | Relatively Low | 17th | 1.7 of 5 | 0.53 |
Perils not assessed in Russell County
These perils carry no usable National Risk Index figure for this county, so they are excluded from the scoring rather than scored zero. A zero would claim the peril was assessed and found benign.
| Peril | Why it is not scored |
|---|---|
| Coastal flooding | FEMA rating is "Not Applicable" for this county |
Model hail, wind and flood exposure for Russell County in the weather risk calculator
Ratings are the FEMA National Risk Index county hazard ratings; the peril score is a Bywatts transform of the FEMA national percentile. Full data sources and the solar vulnerability methodology are in the weather risk calculator.
Modeled estimate for screening and negotiation. Built from FEMA National Risk Index county hazard data and a solar vulnerability layer documented above. Not a quote, a binder, or actuarial advice, and not a substitute for a carrier's own model. Hazard data: FEMA National Risk Index December 2025, synced 2026-07-24. Resolution is county level, not site level.