Balch 2 — Plant Summary
- EIA Plant ID
- 218
- Capacity
- 97.2 MW
- Primary Fuel
- Hydro
- Technology
- Conventional Hydroelectric
- Status
- Operating
- Location
- Fresno, CA
- Operating Since
- 1958
- Generators
- 2
- Operator
- Pacific Gas & Electric Co.
- Parent Company
- PG&E
- Annual Generation
- 443,385 MWh
- Capacity Factor
- 51.4%
- Balancing Authority
- California Independent System Operator
- ISO/RTO
- CAISO
- NERC Region
- WECC
Balch 2
OperatingHydro
Ranked #43 of 247 Hydro plants in CA#197 of 1454 nationally
97.2 MW Hydro operating in Fresno, CA — California Independent System Operator
EIAGEMWD
97.2 MW
Nameplate Capacity
2
Generators
units
Conventional Hydroelectric
Technology
1958
Operating Since
Location
Coordinates
36.9089, -119.0876
County
Fresno, CA
Nearby Plants
- Balch 1Hydro31 MW · 0.0 km
- HaasHydro135 MW · 6.3 km
- Kings River PHHydro48.6 MW · 6.7 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 | Pacific Gas & Electric Co. | Pacific Gas and Electric Co [100%] | — |
| Owner(s) | Pacific Gas & Electric Co. | PG&E | — |
| Status | Operating | operating | — |
Ownership Chain
About
Balch 2 is a 97.2 MW hydroelectric power plant located in Fresno County, California. The plant, which began operating in 1958, utilizes conventional hydroelectric technology and is owned and operated by Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E). It consists of two generators and uses water (WAT) as its primary fuel source. Balch 2 operates within the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) balancing authority and the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) NERC region.
In the most recent year with available data, Balch 2 generated 443,385 MWh of electricity, achieving a capacity factor of 51.4%. The plant's installed cost was $572.56 per kW. Balch 2 ranks as the 43rd largest power plant in California out of 247 facilities and 197th nationally out of 1464 plants. Financial data for the plant is available from FERC filings.
Generated from EIA, GEM, and public data sources
Engineering & Generators
Grid Context
NERC Region
WECC
Balancing Authority
California Independent System Operator
Grid Voltage
230 kV
Regulatory Status
RE
Entity Type
Investor-Owned Utility
Sector
Electric Utility
Generation
32.4K MWh
Latest Month
443.4K MWh
Annual Generation
51.4%
Capacity Factor
Jan 2022 – Dec 2024
Financial DataBeta
Source: FERC Form 1HIGH
$570/kW
Installed Cost
$11.6/MWh
Operating Cost
PACIFIC GAS AND ELECTRIC COMPANY
Reporting Utility
Cumulative Installed Cost
Per-Unit Cost Trends
Pricing & Market Data
HIGH confidenceMarket Position
ISO/RTO Market
CAISO
LMP Node
BLCH38750_7_B1
Pricing Hub
TH_ZP26_GEN-APND
Location Type
Pricing Node
Node Source
EIA-860 direct report
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