Whale Rock Pumped Storage Hydro Project — Plant Summary
- EIA Plant ID
- 66685
- Capacity
- 600 MW
- Primary Fuel
- Hydro
- Technology
- Hydroelectric Pumped Storage
- Status
- Planned
- Location
- San Luis Obispo, CA
- Operating Since
- —
- Generators
- 3
- Operator
- Premium Energy Holdings
- Parent Company
- —
- Balancing Authority
- California Independent System Operator
- ISO/RTO
- CAISO
- NERC Region
- WECC
Whale Rock Pumped Storage Hydro Project
PlannedHydroGEM: announced
Ranked #6 of 247 Hydro plants in CA#42 of 1454 nationally
600 MW Hydro planned in San Luis Obispo, CA — California Independent System Operator
EIAGEM
600 MW
Nameplate Capacity
3
Generators
units
Hydroelectric Pumped Storage
Technology
Planned: —
Planned Operation
Location
Coordinates
35.4542, -120.8671
County
San Luis Obispo, CA
Nearby Plants
- Camp San Luis ObispoSolar1.2 MW · 19.1 km
- Vintner SolarSolar1.5 MW · 20.3 km
- Atascadero State HospitalSolar1.1 MW · 21.1 km
Ownership & Operator
| Field | EIA | GEM | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | Premium Energy Holdings | Premium Energy | — |
| Owner(s) | Premium Energy Holdings | Premium Energy | — |
| Status | Planned | announced | — |
Ownership Chain
GEM identifies the owner as Premium Energy
This entity is not yet in the GEM ownership database — chain unavailable.
About
The Whale Rock Pumped Storage Hydro Project is a 600 MW hydroelectric pumped storage facility located in San Luis Obispo County, California. The plant utilizes water as its primary fuel source and consists of 3 generators. It is owned and operated by Premium Energy Holdings. The plant is interconnected to the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) balancing authority and resides within the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) NERC region.
The Whale Rock facility holds a significant position among California's power plants, ranking as the 6th largest out of 42 in the state, and nationally it is ranked 42nd out of 194. The plant's operations have been the subject of at least one news article related to the industry.
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
NR
Entity Type
Independent Power Producer
Sector
IPP Non-CHP
Generation
No generation data available for this plant.
Financial Data
No financial data available for this plant.
Pricing & Market Data
HIGH confidencePoint of Interconnection
Nearest Substation
Cayucos · 70 kV
Substation Distance
0.681 km
Operator
Pacific Gas and Electric Company
Coord Source
OSM spatial
Market Position
ISO/RTO Market
CAISO
LMP Node
CAYUCOS_6_N001
Pricing Hub
TH_SP15_GEN-APND
Location Type
Pricing Node
Node Source
Curated node match