Cresta — Plant Summary
- EIA Plant ID
- 231
- Capacity
- 73.8 MW
- Primary Fuel
- Hydro
- Technology
- Conventional Hydroelectric
- Status
- Operating
- Location
- Butte, CA
- Operating Since
- 1949
- Generators
- 2
- Operator
- Pacific Gas & Electric Co.
- Parent Company
- PG&E
- Annual Generation
- 338,088 MWh
- Capacity Factor
- 52.4%
- Balancing Authority
- California Independent System Operator
- ISO/RTO
- CAISO
- NERC Region
- WECC
Cresta
OperatingHydro
Ranked #55 of 247 Hydro plants in CA#238 of 1454 nationally
73.8 MW Hydro operating in Butte, CA — California Independent System Operator
EIAGEMWD
73.8 MW
Nameplate Capacity
2
Generators
units
Conventional Hydroelectric
Technology
1949
Operating Since
Location
Coordinates
39.8259, -121.4097
County
Butte, CA
Nearby Plants
- Rock CreekHydro126 MW · 10.4 km
- Bucks CreekHydro66 MW · 11.7 km
- PoeHydro142.8 MW · 12.6 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
Cresta is a 73.8 MW hydroelectric power plant located in Butte County, California. The plant began operating in 1949 and utilizes conventional hydroelectric technology. It consists of two generators and is owned and operated by Pacific Gas & Electric Co. (PG&E). Cresta is connected to the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) balancing authority and is within the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) NERC region.
In the most recent year with available data, Cresta generated 338,088 MWh of electricity, achieving a capacity factor of 52.4%. The plant's installed cost was $1,038.35 per kW. Cresta ranks as the 55th largest power plant in California out of 247, and 241st 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
230 kV
Regulatory Status
RE
Entity Type
Investor-Owned Utility
Sector
Electric Utility
Generation
26.9K MWh
Latest Month
338.1K MWh
Annual Generation
52.4%
Capacity Factor
Jan 2022 – Dec 2024
Financial DataBeta
Source: FERC Form 1HIGH
$1,051/kW
Installed Cost
$9.5/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
CRESTA_7_PL1X2-APND
Pricing Hub
TH_NP15_GEN-APND
Location Type
Aggregated Node
Node Source
EIA-860 direct report
News & Articles (10)Beta
Regulatory·permitting
Pacific Gas and Electric Company; Notice of Application for Temporary Variance of Flow Requirements Accepted for Filing and Soliciting Comments, Motions To Intervene, and Protests
Pacific Gas and Electric (other)
Federal Register (FERC)·3 weeks ago
Deals·other
In brief: Cresta records first close for second sustainable fund
The Dallas-based infrastructure investor has raised $43.5m for investments in renewable fuels and carbon capture projects.
Cresta (other)
New Private Markets·10 months ago
Regulatory·federal policy
Biofuels Industry Demands Clarity on Future Regulations
Regulatory chaos is upending the biofuels industry. Pending changes and high levels of uncertainty at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) could have huge...
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (regulator)
Crude Oil Prices Today | OilPrice.com·1 years ago
Industry·none
Biofuel Woes Idle Private Equity-Backed Renewable-Diesel Refinery
Restarting the Braya Renewable Fuels plant backed by Cresta Fund Management and Energy Capital Partners relies on greater regulatory...
Cresta Fund Management (other)Energy Capital Partners (other)
WSJ·1 years ago
Last updated 2026-03-25
View all 10 articles