Deerhaven Renewable Generating Station – The Largest US Biomass Power Plant

November 19, 2025
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Here are the most interesting facts about Deerhaven Renewable Generating Station, which is the largest biomass power plant in the United States.

  1. Name & Location
    • Officially: Deerhaven Renewable Generating Station (DHR) / Gainesville Renewable Energy Center.
    • Located in Gainesville, Florida, adjacent to the Deerhaven Generating Station.
  2. Capacity & Operation
    • Nameplate capacity: about 116.1 MW.
    • Net summer / winter capacity: ~102.5 MW.
    • Started commercial operations in December 2013.
  3. Technology & Fuel
    • Uses a bubbling fluidized-bed boiler.
    • Fuel: locally sourced woody biomass / wood waste (residues from forestry, sawmills, urban wood waste).
    • Uses natural gas as a startup fuel.
  4. Ownership
    • Owned by Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU).
  5. Environmental Systems
    • It has emissions control: fabric filter baghouse for particulates, SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) for NOₓ, and a dry sorbent injection system (for acid gases, SO₂, mercury) when needed.
    • The Deerhaven site (where it’s located) operates with zero liquid discharge — i.e., process waste water isn’t discharged into surface waters.
  6. Role in GRU’s Energy Mix
    • The biomass plant helps diversify GRU’s fuel mix, reducing dependence on fossil fuels.
    • GRU projects that up to ~30% of its energy could come from this biomass facility.
    • It also contributes to reliability: as older fossil‐fuel units retire, the biomass plant provides a stable, local renewable generation source.
  7. Fuel Supply & Sustainability
    • The wood waste is sourced locally (“leftover clean wood waste”), which supports sustainable use of forestry residues.
    • Because the fuel is “waste wood,” it helps reduce other forms of waste.
  8. Regulatory & Planning Aspects
    • The plant was certified by the Florida DEP (Department of Environmental Protection) with a woody biomass boiler and steam turbine.
    • In GRU’s planning documents, the capacity and environmental design are factored in.
    • According to GRU’s site plan, the biomass unit was purchased by GRU in November 2017.
  9. Electricity Generation
    • The plant produced 287.1 GWh per year, according to recent data.
    • It is among the more significant wood-waste biomass plants in the U.S.

Significance & Impacts

  • Renewable Energy Contribution: As a woody biomass plant, DHR contributes to the renewable energy portfolio, helping to reduce carbon emissions relative to fossil fuels (though biomass is not zero-carbon, it can be more sustainable if the feedstock is well managed).
  • Economic Impact: Provides a local market for wood waste (forestry residues, urban wood), which can help local forestry and wood-processing industries.
  • Energy Security: Because the biomass is local, it somewhat insulates GRU from fossil fuel price volatility.
  • Environmental Trade-Offs: While biomass is renewable, burning wood produces CO₂; the advantage is that the wood is waste and regrowth can reabsorb carbon, depending on forestry practices.
  • Technical Challenges: Fluidized-bed boilers are complex, but they’re good for burning heterogeneous fuels like wood waste.