Novo BioPower, LLC

What Novo BioPower, LLC does

Novo BioPower, LLC is a private, Arizona-based renewable energy operator that owns and operates a 27-megawatt utility-scale biomass power plant in Snowflake, Arizona. The facility, in commercial operation since June 2008, generates electricity through the direct combustion of woody biomass and up to 30% paper sludge (bone-dry basis), with state-of-the-art pollution control equipment. The company sources its fuel from forest thinning and stewardship programs across USFS, BLM, Arizona State Lands, Fort Apache Indian Tribe, and private lands within a 100-mile radius, where third-party studies indicate roughly four times its annual fuel requirement is sustainably available.

The company's revenue model is a B2B utility off-take structure: all electricity is sold under long-term power purchase agreements to Arizona Public Service (APS) and Salt River Project (SRP), Arizona's two largest electric utilities, providing contracted recurring revenue. Novo BioPower is part of a broader Novo Power portfolio that includes Novo RePower (an adjacent 80-MW coal-fired plant with potential natural gas, clean coal, or cogeneration conversion pathways) and the wholly owned Pink Cliffs Land Company, a 7,220-acre property that supplies landfill and water storage for plant operations and is earmarked for future solar and wind development.

Novo BioPower is founder-controlled, with Robert M. Worsley (Chairman, founder of SkyMall, Arizona State Senator) and Brad Worsley (President, former Intel Commodity Manager, 4FRI co-chair) leading the company alongside a board that includes operating executives from Caterpillar dealer Empire Southwest. The company has gone through two ownership changes since inception linked to credit market tightening and the 2012 closure of the neighboring Catalyst Snowflake coal plant, before Worsley's Novo Power consolidated ownership in July 2013. The asset sits at the intersection of utility-scale renewable generation and forest health policy, leveraging Arizona's Renewable Portfolio Standard demand and regional wildfire mitigation funding.

Name

Novo BioPower, LLC

Legal name

Novo BioPower, LLC

Website

https://novopower.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Novo BioPower, LLC operates a 27 MW utility-scale biomass power plant in Snowflake, Arizona, converting wood waste and paper sludge into renewable electricity sold under long-term power purchase agreements to Arizona Public Service (APS) and Salt River Project (SRP).

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Biomass Power Generation

NAICS

Biomass Electric Power Generation (221117)

SIC

Cogeneration Services & Small Power Producers (4991)

akta.pro primary industry

Forestry & Wood Waste Biomass Power (Sawmill Residues, Black Liquor) (EUACAIAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Biomass Plant Operations, Maintenance & Performance Services (O&M) (EUAAAGAI), Biomass Plant EPC & Integration (Design/Build, Balance of Plant) (EUAAAGAH), Biomass Thinning & Pre-Commercial Thinning for Energy Feedstock (AFAMAGAD)

Keywords

• Biomass power generation
• Renewable electricity production
• Power purchase agreements
• Forest thinning resources
• Wood waste fuel

Headquarters

HQ city

Mesa

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Electricity Generation and Sale: The company generates revenue by producing electricity from biomass combustion and selling it under long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs) to Arizona's two largest utilities: Arizona Public Service (APS) and Salt River Project (SRP). This is a utility-scale, contracted revenue model with predictable cash flows from investment-grade utility counterparties.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Novo BioPower operates a 27-megawatt utility-scale biomass power plant in Snowflake, Arizona, that generates renewable electricity by directly combusting wood waste, forest thinning byproducts, and up to 30% paper sludge (bone-dry basis) using state-of-the-art pollution control equipment. Electricity is sold to Arizona's two largest electric utilities — Arizona Public Service (APS) and Salt River Project (SRP) — under long-term power purchase agreements. Supporting operations include co-located coal-plant assets (Novo RePower) and the integrated 7,220-acre Pink Cliffs Land Company providing ash disposal, water storage, and future clean-energy development sites.

Product overview

Novo BioPower, LLC operates as a renewable energy company with a portfolio of distinct energy assets rather than a unified software platform. The core offering is the Novo BioPower Plant, a 27-megawatt biomass power generation facility that combusts wood waste to produce renewable electricity under power purchase agreements with Arizona utilities. Supporting operations include Novo RePower, the adjacent coal-fired plant acquired in 2013 with conversion potential, and Pink Cliffs Land Company, which provides waste disposal and water storage infrastructure essential to plant operations while serving as a foundation for future solar and wind development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Novo BioPower Plant A 27-megawatt biomass power plant located in Snowflake, Arizona that generates renewable electricity by combusting wood waste and biomass fuel (including up to 30% paper sludge by bone-dry weight). Electricity is sold to Arizona Public Service (APS) and Salt River Project (SRP) under long-term power purchase agreements.
• Novo RePower An 80-megawatt coal-fired plant adjacent to the Novo BioPower Plant in Snowflake, Arizona, acquired by Novo Power in July 2013 with options to repurpose for Natural Gas/Cogeneration, a Clean Coal test plant, or steam manufacturing for industrial partners.
• Pink Cliffs Land Company A 7,220-acre wholly-owned property integral to Novo BioPower operations, comprising two active landfills (Monofill and Mill Pond Landfill), 260 surface acres of Mill Pond for water storage, and planned development sites for solar and wind clean energy sources.

Quantifiable outcome

• 27 MW dispatchable renewable capacity serving Arizona utilities
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Salt River Project (SRP)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2013SRP is one of two long-term power purchase agreement counterparties for the 27 MW biomass facility. SRP also co-produced the 'Fire and Water: Restoring Arizona's Forests' documentary highlighting forest restoration and biomass energy.
• Arizona Public Service (APS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2013APS is one of two long-term power purchase agreement counterparties for the 27 MW biomass facility, purchasing renewable electricity to meet regulatory requirements.
• Arizona PBSminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArizona PBS aired the 'Fire and Water: Restoring Arizona's Forests' documentary produced by Salt River Project, which featured Novo BioPower's role in forest restoration and biomass utilization.
• USFS, BLM, Arizona State Lands, Fort Apache Indian Tribe, Private LandownerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional land management entities that provide access to forestland biomass through thinning and stewardship programs within a 100-mile radius of the facility. These partnerships supply the primary fuel source for power generation.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Enviva: World's largest producer of wood pellets for biomass power generation. Comparable as a forestry-derived biomass energy business with utility off-take contracts, though focused on fuel supply rather than direct electricity generation.
• Clearway Energy: Publicly-traded renewable energy independent power producer with conventional generation and renewable projects across the U.S. Comparable contracted merchant/utility IPP structure, though diversified across solar, wind, and thermal.
• NextEra Energy Resources: Subsidiary of NextEra Energy and the world's largest generator of wind and solar energy. Comparable in operating as a contracted IPP selling to utilities, but at vastly larger scale and without biomass specialization.
• Drax Group: UK-listed global leader in biomass power generation, with multi-gigawatt renewable capacity and dedicated biomass supply chains. Comparable technology and off-take model, but at much larger scale and with international fuel sourcing.

Direct peers

• Covanta Holding Corporation: North America's largest pure-play waste-to-energy operator with ~40 facilities generating electricity from residual waste. Closely comparable business model: contracted utility electricity sales from combustion of organic feedstocks with long-term off-take agreements.
• Wheelabrator Technologies: Operates waste-to-energy/biomass power plants that combust municipal solid waste and biomass to generate electricity sold to utilities under long-term contracts. Directly comparable as a small-to-mid-scale independent power producer with regulated utility off-takers.
• Greenidge Generation Holdings: Operates a converted coal/biomass power plant in Dresden, NY selling electricity and capacity to the NYISO grid, with adjacent Bitcoin mining operations. Comparable single-site, small-scale renewable IPP transitioning off fossil baseload.

Others

• Republic Services: Major U.S. solid waste hauler with landfill gas-to-energy operations. Adjacent comparator through methane/biogas utilization for power generation from waste streams; addresses renewable fuel supply dynamics relevant to Novo's biomass economics.
• Andritz (Biomass Handling): Global supplier of biomass processing, storage, and boiler technology used in wood-fired power plants. Relevant technology/comparables peer for understanding biomass plant equipment economics and capex benchmarks.

Emerging players

• Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises: Provider of biomass boiler and environmental compliance technology for utility and industrial biomass plants. Comparable on plant engineering and pollution-control equipment stack rather than direct electricity generation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Novo BioPower, LLC