73.8 MW Hydro operating in Butte, CA — California Independent System Operator
73.8 MW
Nameplate Capacity
2
Generators
units
Conventional Hydroelectric
Technology
1949
Operating Since
Coordinates
39.8259, -121.4097
County
Butte, CA
Nearby Plants
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 | — |
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
NERC Region
WECC
Balancing Authority
California Independent System Operator
Grid Voltage
230 kV
Regulatory Status
RE
Entity Type
Investor-Owned Utility
Sector
Electric Utility
26.9K MWh
Latest Month
338.1K MWh
Annual Generation
52.4%
Capacity Factor
$1,051/kW
Installed Cost
$9.5/MWh
Operating Cost
PACIFIC GAS AND ELECTRIC COMPANY
Reporting Utility
Cumulative Installed Cost
Per-Unit Cost Trends
Market 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
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
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