Balch 2
Hydro power plant in Fresno County, California. 97.2 MW of nameplate capacity across 2 generators, operated by Pacific Gas & Electric Co..
Also known as EIA plant 218
Analyst: free account, 1 question a day.
Key facts
- Capacity
- 97.2 MWNameplate
- Generators
- 2 operatingEIA-860M, August 2026
- Operating since
- November 1958First generator online
- Operator
- Pacific Gas & Electric Co.EIA operator ID 14328
- Grid
- CAISOBalancing authority CISO
- Price nodes
- 2 CAISO nodesResource nodes with prices
- Location
- Fresno County, CA36.9089, −119.0876
- EIA plant ID
- 218EIA plant page
Data as of EIA-860M August 2026 (published 2026-09-24). Capacity is nameplate, not live output.
How much power Balch 2 produces
Free · EIA-923Net generation, 2025
342 GWh
342,259 MWh, final
Capacity factor, 2025
40.2%
2024: 51.9%
January to July 2026
Not reported
Provisional. 0 of 7 months reported
Range, 2015 to 2025
51.6–581.2
GWh a year. Low 2015, high 2019
| Year | Net generation, MWh | Capacity factor | Months reported |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 528,271 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2001 | 301,904 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2002 | 430,417 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2003 | 407,541 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2004 | 368,411 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2005 | 624,696 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2006 | 636,584 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2007 | 235,538 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2008 | 371,031 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2009 | 459,201 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2010 | 557,545 | 65.5% | 12 of 12 |
| 2011 | 570,043 | 66.9% | 12 of 12 |
| 2012 | 278,910 | 32.7% | 12 of 12 |
| 2013 | 194,302 | 22.8% | 12 of 12 |
| 2014 | 158,988 | 18.7% | 12 of 12 |
| 2015 | 51,608 | 6.1% | 12 of 12 |
| 2016 | 331,916 | 38.9% | 12 of 12 |
| 2017 | 549,620 | 64.5% | 12 of 12 |
| 2018 | 403,455 | 47.4% | 12 of 12 |
| 2019 | 581,244 | 68.3% | 12 of 12 |
| 2020 | 251,778 | 29.5% | 12 of 12 |
| 2021 | 120,507 | 14.2% | 12 of 12 |
| 2022 | 226,603 | 26.6% | 12 of 12 |
| 2023 | 489,703 | 57.5% | 12 of 12 |
| 2024 | 443,385 | 51.9% | 12 of 12 |
| 2025 | 342,259 | 40.2% | 12 of 12 |
| 2026 (provisional, partial year) | Not reported | Not reported | 0 of 7 |
* 2026 covers January to July and is provisional. Capacity factor is net generation divided by nameplate capacity times the hours of each reported month.
Power prices and basis
Free account · CAISOEmissions
Free · EPA CAMPDNo EPA emissions units are linked to this plant.
Water use
Free · EIA-923 cooling, USGSNo EIA cooling-water record for this plant in 2024. Plants without steam cooling, such as wind, solar and batteries, do not report cooling water.
Generators
Free · EIA-860M| Generator | Technology | Nameplate MW | Online since |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 48.6 | November 1958 |
| 3 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 48.6 | December 1958 |
Ownership and offtake
ProOwnership and offtake are part of Pro
Owners and their shares, parent companies, and power purchase agreements with their buyers. EIA-860M lists Pacific Gas & Electric Co. as the operator, which is not always the owner.
Modeled data
ProPro adds modeled values for this plant. Everything above stays free.
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Power plants near Balch 2
More plants operated by Pacific Gas & Electric Co.
Questions about Balch 2
How much power does Balch 2 produce?
Balch 2 reported 342,259 MWh (342 GWh) of net generation in 2025, a 40.2% capacity factor on 97.2 MW of nameplate capacity.
Where is Balch 2?
Balch 2 is in Fresno County, California, at 36.9089, −119.0876. It is in the California Independent System Operator balancing area (CISO).
Who operates Balch 2?
EIA-860M for August 2026 lists Pacific Gas & Electric Co. as the operator (EIA operator ID 14328). The operator is not always the owner.
When did Balch 2 start operating?
Its first generator began operating in November 1958, according to EIA-860M.
Does InfraMap have power prices for Balch 2?
Yes. InfraMap has CAISO day-ahead and real-time prices at 2 price nodes linked to Balch 2, with the hub price and node-to-hub basis. Prices are free with an InfraMap account; pricing node names are part of InfraMap Pro.
Sources
- EIA-860 2025 (final) and EIA-860M August 2026: plant, generators, capacity, operator and location
- EIA-923 monthly net generation, 2000 to July 2026 (2026 provisional)
- CAISO day-ahead and real-time prices; node and hub assignments as of 2026-10-05
Page updated 2026-10-04 from the InfraMap data build. Methodology · Data sources · EIA plant page