Rio Bravo Hydro Project — Plant Summary
- EIA Plant ID
- 50037
- Capacity
- 14 MW
- Primary Fuel
- Hydro
- Technology
- Conventional Hydroelectric
- Status
- Standby
- Location
- Kern, CA
- Operating Since
- 1989
- Generators
- 2
- Operator
- Olcese Water District
- Parent Company
- —
- Annual Generation
- 29,062 MWh
- Capacity Factor
- 23.5%
- Balancing Authority
- California Independent System Operator
- ISO/RTO
- CAISO
- NERC Region
- WECC
Rio Bravo Hydro Project
StandbyHydro
Ranked #102 of 247 Hydro plants in CA#562 of 1454 nationally
14 MW Hydro standby in Kern, CA — California Independent System Operator
EIAWD
14 MW
Nameplate Capacity
2
Generators
units
Conventional Hydroelectric
Technology
1989
Operating Since
Location
Coordinates
35.4300, -118.8222
County
Kern, CA
Nearby Plants
- Kern CanyonHydro11.5 MW · 2.5 km
- Kern River 1Hydro26.4 MW · 5.1 km
- Bear Mountain LimitedNatural Gas46 MW · 9.5 km
Ownership & Operator
| Field | EIA | GEM | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | Olcese Water District | — | — |
| Owner(s) | Olcese Water District | — | — |
| Status | Standby | — | — |
Ownership Chain
No GEM tracker match for this plant — ownership chain unavailable.
About
The Rio Bravo Hydro Project is a 14 MW hydroelectric power plant located in Kern County, California. The plant began operating in 1989 and utilizes conventional hydroelectric technology. It consists of two generators and is owned and operated by Olcese Water District. The plant's primary fuel source is water (WAT).
In the most recent year of reported data, the Rio Bravo Hydro Project generated 29,062 MWh of electricity, achieving a capacity factor of 23.5%. The plant operates within the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) balancing authority and the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) NERC region. Rio Bravo Hydro is ranked as the 102nd largest power plant in California out of 247, and 574th 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
69 kV
Regulatory Status
NR
Entity Type
Municipal
Sector
IPP Non-CHP
Generation
0 MWh
Latest Month
29.1K MWh
Annual Generation
23.5%
Capacity Factor
Jan 2022 – Dec 2024
Financial Data
No financial data available for this plant.
Pricing & Market Data
MEDIUM confidenceMarket Position
ISO/RTO Market
CAISO
LMP Node
KRNCNYN_6_N001
Pricing Hub
TH_ZP26_GEN-APND
Secondary Zone
TH_SP15_GEN-APND
Location Type
Pricing Node
Node Source
Curated node match
News & Articles (10)Beta
Industry·corporate
Hydropower saps flows from the mighty Kern River. Rafters want their whitewater back.
The diversion of water for a Southern California Edison hydroelectric plant reduces the flow of the Kern River for nearly 16 miles.
Southern California Edison (operator)
Los Angeles Times·8 months ago
Regulatory·ferc order
Summary of FERC Meeting Agenda for May 2024
Summaries of the agenda items for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's monthly open meeting to be held on May 23, 2024.
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (regulator)
White & Case LLP·1 years ago
Industry·partnership
Energy trade tempers Nile water conflict
New electricity trade agreements between Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt could help resolve the ongoing water dispute over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.
Ethiopia (other)Sudan (other)
Nature·1 years ago
Industry·corporate
6 Things You Need To Know About The Klamath River Dam Removals
4 dams on the Klamath River are being removed after nearly 100 years of blocking fish migration, encroaching on indigenous culture, and harming water quality.
Klamath River (operator)
americanrivers.org·2 years ago
Last updated 2026-03-26
View all 10 articles