COVANTA DELANO ENERGY
OperatingBiomass power plant
- Capacity
- 57 MW
- Primary fuel
- Biomass
- County
- Kern County
- Operator
- COVANTA DELANO INC
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 1990
- EIA plant ID
- 10840
- Generators
- 2
- Technology
- Wood/Wood Waste Biomass
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 35.7144, -119.2337
COVANTA DELANO ENERGY, a 57 MW Biomass power plant in Kern County, California. Operated by COVANTA DELANO INC, commissioned 1990.
How COVANTA DELANO ENERGY compares
With 57 MW of capacity, COVANTA DELANO ENERGY ranks 225th among the 874 operating power plants Bywatts maps in California and is the largest of the 47 operating Biomass plants in the state. It accounts for about 7.1% of California's operating Biomass capacity and under 0.1% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 65th-largest of the 350 operating Biomass plants in the database. Commissioned in 1990, it is older than 62% of the 859 operating California plants with a recorded commissioning year. It shares Kern County with 118 other operating plants, including LA PALOMA GENERATING LLC and PASTORIA ENERGY FACILITY LLC.
EIA-860 lists 2 generators at the site with 57 MW of nameplate capacity, all wood/wood waste biomass technology. Its generators came online between 1990 and 1993.
Grid neighborhood
The nearest named substation is PANDOL, about 0.3 miles away; the closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 115 kV line owned by PACIFIC GAS & ELECTRIC COMPANY, about 7.3 miles away. Another 23 operating power plants totaling 1,220 MW sit within 25 miles; the largest is SYCAMORE COGENERATION (312 MW, Natural Gas).
Computed by Bywatts from HIFLD power plant, substation and transmission line records and EIA-860/923 survey data; distances are straight-line. Sources and methodology
Weather peril exposure
COVANTA DELANO ENERGY is a 57 MW biomass power plant in Kern County, CA, operated by COVANTA DELANO INC, commissioned in 1990. Kern County carries low modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 1.7 of 5 at the 18th national percentile. Wildfire is the leading peril, rated Relatively High by FEMA at the 98th 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.
Kern County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wildfire | Relatively High | 98th | 4.9 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Earthquake | Relatively High | 97th | 4.9 of 5 | 0.08 |
| Heat wave | Relatively High | 79th | 4.2 of 5 | 7.5 |
| Riverine flooding | Relatively High | 55th | 3.2 of 5 | 5.6 |
| Strong wind | Relatively Low | 3rd | 1.1 of 5 | 0.06 |
| Tornado | Very Low | 3rd | 1.1 of 5 | 0.37 |
| Winter weather | Relatively Moderate | 3rd | 1.1 of 5 | 5.4 |
| Lightning | Relatively High | 2nd | 1.1 of 5 | 8.0 |
| Hail | Relatively Low | 0th | 1.0 of 5 | 0.10 |
Perils not assessed in Kern 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 |
|---|---|
| Hurricane | FEMA rating is "Not Applicable" for this county |
| Coastal flooding | FEMA rating is "Not Applicable" for this county |
| Ice storm | FEMA rating is "Not Applicable" for this county |
Model hail, wind and flood exposure for Kern 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.