WHEELABRATOR SHASTA
OperatingBiomass power plant
- Capacity
- 56 MW
- Primary fuel
- Biomass
- County
- Shasta County
- Operator
- WHEELABRATOR ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 1987
- EIA plant ID
- 50881
- Generators
- 3
- Technology
- Wood/Wood Waste Biomass
- Net generation (2024)
- 276 GWh
- Capacity factor (2024, EIA nameplate)
- 57%
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 40.4283, -122.2792
WHEELABRATOR SHASTA, a 56 MW Biomass power plant in Shasta County, California. Operated by WHEELABRATOR ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS, commissioned 1987.
How WHEELABRATOR SHASTA compares
With 56 MW of capacity, WHEELABRATOR SHASTA ranks 229th among the 874 operating power plants Bywatts maps in California and 2nd of the 47 operating Biomass plants in the state. It accounts for about 6.9% of California's operating Biomass capacity and under 0.1% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 66th-largest of the 350 operating Biomass plants in the database. Commissioned in 1987, it is older than 69% of the 859 operating California plants with a recorded commissioning year. It shares Shasta County with 32 other operating plants, including SHASTA and REDDING POWER.
EIA-860 lists 3 generators at the site with 55 MW of nameplate capacity, all wood/wood waste biomass technology. Net generation was 276 GWh in 2024 (a 57% capacity factor), down 1% from 2022.
Grid neighborhood
The nearest named substation is SIGNAL (69 kV), under 0.1 miles away; the closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 230 kV line, about 0.2 miles away. Another 13 operating power plants totaling 1,418 MW sit within 25 miles; the largest is SHASTA (714 MW, Hydro).
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
WHEELABRATOR SHASTA is a 56 MW biomass power plant in Shasta County, CA, operated by WHEELABRATOR ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS, commissioned in 1987. Shasta County carries low modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 1.8 of 5 at the 20th 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.
Shasta 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 Moderate | 94th | 4.7 of 5 | 0.02 |
| Riverine flooding | Relatively High | 93rd | 4.7 of 5 | 1.0 |
| Heat wave | Relatively Moderate | 68th | 3.7 of 5 | 5.0 |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | 9th | 1.3 of 5 | 14.2 |
| Tornado | Very Low | 7th | 1.3 of 5 | 0.07 |
| Hail | Very Low | 3rd | 1.1 of 5 | 0.10 |
| Winter weather | Relatively Moderate | 2nd | 1.1 of 5 | 20.9 |
| Strong wind | Very Low | 1st | 1.0 of 5 | 0.02 |
Perils not assessed in Shasta 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 Shasta 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.