INTERNATIONAL PAPER RIEGELWOOD MILL
OperatingBiomass power plant
- Capacity
- 62 MW
- Primary fuel
- Biomass
- County
- Columbus County
- Operator
- INTERNATIONAL PAPER CO-RIEGELWOOD
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 1976
- EIA plant ID
- 54656
- Generators
- 2
- Technology
- Wood/Wood Waste Biomass
- Net generation (2024)
- 293 GWh
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 34.3532, -78.2120
INTERNATIONAL PAPER RIEGELWOOD MILL, a 62 MW Biomass power plant in Columbus County, North Carolina.
How INTERNATIONAL PAPER RIEGELWOOD MILL compares
With 62 MW of capacity, INTERNATIONAL PAPER RIEGELWOOD MILL ranks 35th among the 205 operating power plants Bywatts maps in North Carolina and 2nd of the 9 operating Biomass plants in the state. It accounts for about 20% of North Carolina's operating Biomass capacity and 0.2% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 57th-largest of the 350 operating Biomass plants in the database. Commissioned in 1976, it is older than 75% of the 183 operating North Carolina plants with a recorded commissioning year. It shares Columbus County with one other operating plant, CHADBOURN FARM.
EIA-860 lists 2 generators at the site with 84 MW of nameplate capacity, all wood/wood waste biomass technology (this page's HIFLD capacity figure is 62 MW). Net generation was 293 GWh in 2024. Its generators came online between 1976 and 2024.
Grid neighborhood
The closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 115 kV line owned by PROGRESS ENERGY CAROLINAS INC, under 0.1 miles away. One other operating power plant sits within 25 miles: SUNEDISON LV SUTTON PLANT SITE (1 MW, Solar).
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
INTERNATIONAL PAPER RIEGELWOOD MILL is a 62 MW biomass power plant in Columbus County, NC, operated by INTERNATIONAL PAPER CO-RIEGELWOOD, commissioned in 1976. Columbus County carries critical modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 4.4 of 5 at the 85th national percentile. Hurricane is the leading peril, rated Relatively High by FEMA at the 97th 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.
Columbus County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hurricane | Relatively High | 97th | 4.9 of 5 | 0.31 |
| Strong wind | Very High | 97th | 4.9 of 5 | 2.6 |
| Lightning | Relatively High | 82nd | 4.3 of 5 | 58.0 |
| Ice storm | Relatively Moderate | 81st | 4.2 of 5 | 0.71 |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | 80th | 4.2 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Wildfire | Relatively Low | 63rd | 3.5 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | 56th | 3.2 of 5 | 0.53 |
| Heat wave | Relatively Moderate | 41st | 2.6 of 5 | 8.5 |
| Hail | Relatively Low | 36th | 2.4 of 5 | 3.0 |
| Riverine flooding | Relatively Low | 32nd | 2.3 of 5 | 1.1 |
| Winter weather | Relatively Moderate | 29th | 2.2 of 5 | 1.8 |
| Coastal flooding | Very Low | 13th | 1.5 of 5 | 0.01 |
Model hail, wind and flood exposure for Columbus 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.