Georgia-Pacific Big Island
Natural gas power plant · Bedford County, Virginia
Nameplate capacity
7.9 MW
Rank in Virginia
#168
of 261 plants
In service since
1965
June 1965
Details
- Primary fuel
- Natural gas
- Technology
- Natural Gas Steam Turbine
- Operator
- GP Big Island LLC
- County
- Bedford County
- Generating units
- 3
- Share of state capacity
- 0.03%
- Rank among natural gas plants in Virginia
- #28 of 30
- EIA plant code
- 50479
Generating units
| Unit | Technology | Nameplate | Summer | Online | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GEN1 | Natural Gas Steam Turbine | 7.5 MW | 7.0 MW | 1965 | Operating |
| BHG1 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 0.2 MW | 0.2 MW | 2020 | Operating |
| BHG2 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 0.2 MW | 0.2 MW | 2020 | Operating |
Nameplate is the maximum rated output; summer capacity is what the unit can reliably deliver on a hot day, which is typically lower.
Similarly sized plants in Virginia
| Hecate Energy Clarke County LLC | Solar | 10 MW |
| Buck Hydro | Hydro | 8.4 MW |
| Cushaw | Hydro | 7.5 MW |
| Electric Avenue Facility | Other | 6.9 MW |
About this data
From EIA’s inventory of operable generators, May 2026 release. Capacity is nameplate — the maximum rated output of the equipment, not what the plant actually generates over a year, which depends on how often it runs. A 7.9 MW solar plant and a 7.9 MW nuclear plant have the same entry here and produce very different amounts of electricity.
“In service since” is the earliest in-service date among the units still listed, so a site rebuilt around newer equipment can read as younger than the site itself. All Virginia power plants · What Virginia actually generates