Elephant Butte — Plant Summary
- EIA Plant ID
- 6402
- Capacity
- 27.9 MW
- Primary Fuel
- Hydro
- Technology
- Conventional Hydroelectric
- Status
- Operating
- Location
- Sierra, NM
- Operating Since
- 1940
- Generators
- 3
- Operator
- U S Bureau of Reclamation
- Parent Company
- —
- Annual Generation
- 57,088 MWh
- Capacity Factor
- 23.3%
- Balancing Authority
- Western Area Power Administration - Rocky Mountain Region
- ISO/RTO
- —
- NERC Region
- WECC
Elephant Butte
OperatingHydro
Ranked #2 of 4 Hydro plants in NM#418 of 1454 nationally
27.9 MW Hydro operating in Sierra, NM — Western Area Power Administration - Rocky Mountain Region
EIAWD
27.9 MW
Nameplate Capacity
3
Generators
units
Conventional Hydroelectric
Technology
1940
Operating Since
Location
Coordinates
33.1533, -107.1921
County
Sierra, NM
Nearby Plants
- Wal-Mart Truth or Consequences PVSolar1 MW · 5.4 km
- City of Truth or Consequences PVSolar1.9 MW · 9.6 km
Ownership & Operator
| Field | EIA | GEM | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | U S Bureau of Reclamation | — | — |
| Owner(s) | U S Bureau of Reclamation | — | — |
| Status | Operating | — | — |
Ownership Chain
No GEM tracker match for this plant — ownership chain unavailable.
About
Elephant Butte is a 27.9 MW hydroelectric power plant located in Sierra County, New Mexico. The plant began operating in 1940 and is owned and operated by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. It utilizes three generators and draws its power from water (WAT) using conventional hydroelectric technology. Elephant Butte is the second-largest of four hydroelectric plants in New Mexico, and ranks 423rd out of 1464 nationally.
The plant operates within the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) NERC region, and its balancing authority is the Western Area Power Administration - Rocky Mountain Region. In the most recent year with available data, Elephant Butte generated 57,088 MWh of electricity, achieving a capacity factor of 23.3%. Recent news coverage of the plant has focused on regulatory matters.
Generated from EIA, GEM, and public data sources
Engineering & Generators
Grid Context
NERC Region
WECC
Balancing Authority
Western Area Power Administration - Rocky Mountain Region
Grid Voltage
115 kV
Regulatory Status
RE
Entity Type
Federal
Sector
Electric Utility
Generation
0 MWh
Latest Month
57.1K MWh
Annual Generation
23.3%
Capacity Factor
Jan 2022 – Dec 2024
Financial Data
No financial data available for this plant.
Pricing & Market Data
This plant is outside organized wholesale electricity markets (ISOs/RTOs). Nodal pricing data is not available.
News & Articles (10)Beta
Regulatory·federal policy
New Mexico VPP bill would allow third-party aggregators to participate
If the bill becomes law, the state's three investor-owned utilities would need to offset 15% of peak demand and allow customers to lock in...
New Mexico (other)
Utility Dive·4 weeks ago
General
New Year's Eve events in New Mexico and Albuquerque
Where: Albuquerque International Balloon Museum; When: 10 a.m. to noon, Wednesday, Dec. 31; Things to do: Free event to kick off the new...
KOAT·2 months ago
General
Elephant Butte Reservoir In New Mexico Is Getting A Makeover
The largest reservoir in New Mexico, Elephant Butte, is getting its first significant improvements in over 100 years.
95.5 KLAQ·1 years ago
General
A deep guide to people and terms in the Rio Grande SCOTUS case
Here's key terms, players in the U.S. Supreme Court lawsuit between Texas and New Mexico on groundwater pumping and Rio Grande water.
Source New Mexico·2 years ago
Last updated 2026-03-14
View all 10 articles