Colgate — Plant Summary
- EIA Plant ID
- 454
- Capacity
- 315 MW
- Primary Fuel
- Hydro
- Technology
- Conventional Hydroelectric
- Status
- Operating
- Location
- Yuba, CA
- Operating Since
- 1969
- Generators
- 2
- Operator
- Yuba County Water Agency
- Parent Company
- —
- Annual Generation
- 1,258,492 MWh
- Capacity Factor
- 45.9%
- Balancing Authority
- California Independent System Operator
- ISO/RTO
- CAISO
- NERC Region
- WECC
Colgate
OperatingHydro
Ranked #8 of 247 Hydro plants in CA#68 of 1454 nationally
315 MW Hydro operating in Yuba, CA — California Independent System Operator
EIAGEMWD
315 MW
Nameplate Capacity
2
Generators
units
Conventional Hydroelectric
Technology
1969
Operating Since
Location
Coordinates
39.3308, -121.1917
County
Yuba, CA
Nearby Plants
- Narrows 2Hydro46.7 MW · 12.3 km
- Narrows PHHydro10.2 MW · 12.6 km
- Scott FlatHydro1 MW · 23.2 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 | Yuba County Water Agency | Yuba Water Agency | — |
| Owner(s) | Yuba County Water Agency | Yuba Water Agency [100%] | — |
| Status | Operating | operating | — |
Ownership Chain
GEM identifies the owner as Yuba Water Agency [100%]
This entity is not yet in the GEM ownership database — chain unavailable.
About
The Colgate hydroelectric plant is located in Yuba County, California. The plant has a total capacity of 315 MW across two generators, and it began operating in 1969. The primary fuel source is water (WAT), and the plant utilizes conventional hydroelectric technology. The Colgate plant is owned and operated by the Yuba County Water Agency.
Colgate operates within the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) balancing authority and the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) NERC region. In terms of size, it ranks as the 8th largest hydroelectric plant out of 42 in California, and 68th out of 194 nationally. The plant's latest annual generation was 1,258,492 MWh, resulting in a capacity factor of 45.9%.
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
Political Subdivision
Sector
Electric Utility
Generation
0 MWh
Latest Month
1.3M MWh
Annual Generation
45.9%
Capacity Factor
Jan 2023 – Dec 2025
Financial Data
No financial data available for this plant.
Pricing & Market Data
HIGH confidenceMarket Position
ISO/RTO Market
CAISO
LMP Node
COLGATE 1_7_B1
Pricing Hub
TH_NP15_GEN-APND
Node Source
EIA-860 direct report
News & Articles (10)Beta
Grid·outage
New Colgate Powerhouse breach: What do the longer-term impacts look like?
An aerial view of the New Colgate Powerhouse and surrounding areas Feb. 14, 2026, following the catastrophic failure of the penstock...
New Colgate Powerhouse (operator)
capradio.org·1 weeks ago
Grid·outage
Penstock failure shuts down Yuba River hydropower plant
A catastrophic failure Friday afternoon of a newly constructed penstock pipe at the New Colgate Powerhouse on the north and middle forks of...
Yuba River (other)New Colgate Powerhouse (operator)
appeal-democrat.com·3 weeks ago
Hazards·flooding
Powerhouse pipe burst may take ‘years’ to fix as Yuba County declares emergency
The extent of the damage from the penstock rupture and deluge remains unclear a week after sweeping debris and oil into the Yuba River.
Yuba County (other)Yuba River (other)
Sacramento Bee·3 weeks ago
Grid·outage
New Colgate Penstock Failure - Detailed Drone Imagery and Discussion of Longer-Term Impacts
A Lookout Superfan flew their drone over the failed penstock, in Yuba County, yesterday, and sent us the imagery.
Yuba County (other)
The Lookout.org·3 weeks ago
Last updated 2026-03-14
View all 10 articles