Caribou 1 — Plant Summary
- EIA Plant ID
- 222
- Capacity
- 73.8 MW
- Primary Fuel
- Hydro
- Technology
- Conventional Hydroelectric
- Status
- Operating
- Location
- Plumas, CA
- Operating Since
- 1921
- Generators
- 3
- Operator
- Pacific Gas & Electric Co.
- Parent Company
- PG&E
- Annual Generation
- 221,018 MWh
- Capacity Factor
- 34.1%
- Balancing Authority
- California Independent System Operator
- ISO/RTO
- CAISO
- NERC Region
- WECC
Caribou 1
OperatingHydro
Ranked #54 of 247 Hydro plants in CA#239 of 1454 nationally
73.8 MW Hydro operating in Plumas, CA — California Independent System Operator
EIAGEMWD
73.8 MW
Nameplate Capacity
3
Generators
units
Conventional Hydroelectric
Technology
1921
Operating Since
Location
Coordinates
40.0855, -121.1482
County
Plumas, CA
Nearby Plants
- Caribou 2Hydro117.9 MW · 0.1 km
- Oak FlatHydro1.4 MW · 1.6 km
- Butt ValleyHydro40 MW · 10.7 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 | — |
| Owner(s) | Pacific Gas & Electric Co. | PG&E | — |
| Status | Operating | operating | — |
Ownership Chain
About
Caribou 1 is a 73.8 MW hydroelectric power plant located in Plumas County, California. The plant, which began operating in 1921, utilizes conventional hydroelectric technology and consists of 3 generators. It is owned and operated by Pacific Gas & Electric Co. (PG&E). Caribou 1 is connected to the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) balancing authority and resides within the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) NERC region.
In the most recent year with available data, Caribou 1 generated 221,018 MWh of electricity, achieving a capacity factor of 34.1%. The plant's installed cost was $1770.5 per kW. Caribou 1 ranks as the 54th largest power plant in California out of 247, and 240th nationally out of 1464 plants.
Generated from EIA, GEM, and public data sources
Engineering & Generators
Grid Context
NERC Region
WECC
Balancing Authority
California Independent System Operator
Grid Voltage
115 kV
Regulatory Status
RE
Entity Type
Investor-Owned Utility
Sector
Electric Utility
Generation
35.1K MWh
Latest Month
221.0K MWh
Annual Generation
34.1%
Capacity Factor
Jan 2022 – Dec 2024
Financial DataBeta
Source: FERC Form 1HIGH
$1,846/kW
Installed Cost
$24.3/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
CARBOU_7_PL2X3-APND
Pricing Hub
TH_NP15_GEN-APND
Location Type
Aggregated Node
Node Source
EIA-860 direct report
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