Covanta Fairfax Energy — Plant Summary
- EIA Plant ID
- 50658
- Capacity
- 124 MW
- Primary Fuel
- MSW
- Technology
- Municipal Solid Waste
- Status
- Operating
- Location
- Fairfax, VA
- Operating Since
- 1990
- Generators
- 2
- Operator
- Covanta Fairfax Inc
- Parent Company
- EQT
- Annual Generation
- 708,708 MWh
- Capacity Factor
- 65.3%
- Balancing Authority
- PJM Interconnection, LLC
- ISO/RTO
- PJM
- NERC Region
- SERC
Covanta Fairfax Energy
OperatingMuni. Waste
Ranked #1 of 2 Muni. Waste plants in VA#1 of 56 nationally
124 MW Muni. Waste operating in Fairfax, VA — PJM Interconnection, LLC
EIAGEMWD
124 MW
Nameplate Capacity
2
Generators
units
Municipal Solid Waste
Technology
1990
Operating Since
Location
Coordinates
38.6950, -77.2411
County
Fairfax, VA
Nearby Plants
- Covanta Alexandria/Arlington EnergyMuni. Waste29 MW · 15.3 km
- Possum PointDistillate Oil709 MW · 17.9 km
- Church Street PlantDistillate Oil4.3 MW · 20.2 km
Ownership & Operator
Owner data does not fully agree across sources.
EIA typically reports the operating utility, while GEM resolves to the financial owner or parent corporation. Both can be correct.
| Field | EIA | GEM | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | Covanta Fairfax Inc | Covanta Fairfax | — |
| Owner(s) | Covanta Fairfax Inc | EQT | — |
| Status | Operating | operating | — |
Ownership Chain
About
Covanta Fairfax Energy is a 124 MW waste-to-energy plant located in Fairfax County, Virginia. The plant, which began operating in 1990, is owned by EQT, a company based in Sweden, and operated by Covanta Fairfax Inc. It utilizes municipal solid waste (MSW) as its primary fuel source and consists of two generators. The plant is the largest of its kind in Virginia and ranks among the top two largest MSW plants in the United States.
In the latest year of reported data, Covanta Fairfax Energy generated 708,708 MWh of electricity, achieving a capacity factor of 65.3%. The plant operates within the PJM Interconnection, LLC balancing authority, which is part of the SERC NERC region. Recent news articles have reported on potential hazards associated with the plant.
Generated from EIA, GEM, and public data sources
Engineering & Generators
Grid Context
NERC Region
SERC
Balancing Authority
PJM Interconnection, LLC
Grid Voltage
230 kV
Regulatory Status
NR
Entity Type
Commercial
Sector
Commercial Non-CHP
Generation
62.3K MWh
Latest Month
708.7K MWh
Annual Generation
65.3%
Capacity Factor
Jan 2023 – Dec 2025
Financial Data
No financial data available for this plant.
Pricing & Market Data
HIGH confidencePoint of Interconnection
Nearest Substation
Ogden-Martin Nug Substation · 230 kV
Substation Distance
0.178 km
Coord Source
OSM spatial
Market Position
ISO/RTO Market
PJM
LMP Node
OGDENMTN13.8 KV NUG
Pricing Hub
DOMINION HUB
Location Type
Generation Node
Node Source
Curated node match
News & Articles (1)Beta
Hazards·wildfire
Covanta’s Fairfax facility reopens following February fire
The Lorton, VA-based facility — with a daily capacity of around 3000 tons — worked with Fairfax County to enhance notification and...
Covanta (operator)Fairfax County Resource Recovery Facility (operator)
Waste Dive·8 years ago
Last updated 2026-03-26
View all articles