COVINGTON FACILITY
OperatingBiomass power plant
- Capacity
- 100 MW
- Primary fuel
- Biomass
- County
- Alleghany County
- Operator
- MEADWESTVACO CORP
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 1951
- EIA plant ID
- 50900
- Generators
- 4
- Technology
- Wood/Wood Waste Biomass
- Net generation (2024)
- 741 GWh
- Capacity factor (2024, EIA nameplate)
- 52%
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 37.8000, -79.9950
COVINGTON FACILITY, a 100 MW Biomass power plant in Alleghany County, Virginia. Operated by MEADWESTVACO CORP, commissioned 1951.
How COVINGTON FACILITY compares
With 100 MW of capacity, COVINGTON FACILITY ranks 27th among the 103 operating power plants Bywatts maps in Virginia and 3rd of the 16 operating Biomass plants in the state. It accounts for about 19% of Virginia's operating Biomass capacity and 0.5% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 20th-largest of the 350 operating Biomass plants in the database. Commissioned in 1951, it is older than 84% of the 101 operating Virginia plants with a recorded commissioning year. It shares Alleghany County with one other operating plant, LOW MOOR.
EIA-860 lists 4 generators at the site with 161 MW of nameplate capacity, mainly wood/wood waste biomass technology (this page's HIFLD capacity figure is 100 MW). Net generation was 741 GWh in 2024 (a 52% capacity factor), down 6% from 2022. Its generators came online between 1951 and 2013.
Grid neighborhood
The nearest named substation is FUDGE HOLLOW (138 kV), about 1.5 miles away; the closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 138 kV line owned by VIRGINIA ELECTRIC & POWER CO, under 0.1 miles away. One other operating power plant sits within 25 miles: LOW MOOR (83 MW, Oil).
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
COVINGTON FACILITY is a 100 MW biomass power plant in Alleghany County, VA, operated by MEADWESTVACO CORP, commissioned in 1951. Alleghany County carries low modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 1.5 of 5 at the 12th national percentile. Riverine flooding is the leading peril, rated Relatively Low by FEMA at the 95th 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.
Alleghany County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riverine flooding | Relatively Low | 95th | 4.8 of 5 | 1.1 |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | 71st | 3.8 of 5 | 42.3 |
| Winter weather | Relatively Low | 71st | 3.8 of 5 | 13.2 |
| Hurricane | Very Low | 63rd | 3.5 of 5 | 0.02 |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 49th | 3.0 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Strong wind | Relatively High | 44th | 2.7 of 5 | 2.4 |
| Earthquake | Very Low | 43rd | 2.7 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Ice storm | Very Low | 27th | 2.1 of 5 | 0.45 |
| Hail | Very Low | 20th | 1.8 of 5 | 3.0 |
| Tornado | Very Low | 14th | 1.6 of 5 | 0.05 |
| Heat wave | Very Low | 9th | 1.4 of 5 | 0.11 |
Perils not assessed in Alleghany 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 Alleghany 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.