Butt Valley
Hydro power plant in Plumas County, California. 40 MW of nameplate capacity across 1 generator, operated by Pacific Gas & Electric Co..
Also known as Butt Valley Powerhouse · EIA plant 221
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Key facts
- Capacity
- 40 MWNameplate
- Generators
- 1 operatingEIA-860M, August 2026
- Operating since
- December 1958First generator online
- Operator
- Pacific Gas & Electric Co.EIA operator ID 14328
- Grid
- CAISOBalancing authority CISO
- Price nodes
- 1 CAISO nodeResource nodes with prices
- Location
- Plumas County, CA40.1757, −121.1907
- EIA plant ID
- 221EIA plant page
Data as of EIA-860M August 2026 (published 2026-09-24). Capacity is nameplate, not live output.
How much power Butt Valley produces
Free · EIA-923Net generation, 2025
145 GWh
145,340 MWh, final
Capacity factor, 2025
41.5%
2024: 42.5%
January to July 2026
Not reported
Provisional. 0 of 7 months reported
Range, 2015 to 2025
19.1–149.3
GWh a year. Low 2021, high 2024
| Year | Net generation, MWh | Capacity factor | Months reported |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 168,520 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2001 | 108,242 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2002 | 89,583 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2003 | 153,320 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2004 | 149,174 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2005 | 130,522 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2006 | 257,387 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2007 | 113,459 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2008 | 92,178 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2009 | 87,158 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2010 | 116,480 | 33.2% | 12 of 12 |
| 2011 | 184,175 | 52.6% | 12 of 12 |
| 2012 | 104,855 | 29.8% | 12 of 12 |
| 2013 | 133,302 | 38.0% | 12 of 12 |
| 2014 | 88,042 | 25.1% | 12 of 12 |
| 2015 | 73,347 | 20.9% | 12 of 12 |
| 2016 | 76,608 | 21.8% | 12 of 12 |
| 2017 | 138,093 | 39.4% | 12 of 12 |
| 2018 | 58,440 | 16.7% | 12 of 12 |
| 2019 | 129,768 | 37.0% | 12 of 12 |
| 2020 | 108,675 | 30.9% | 12 of 12 |
| 2021 | 19,146 | 5.5% | 12 of 12 |
| 2022 | 74,617 | 21.3% | 12 of 12 |
| 2023 | 146,546 | 41.8% | 12 of 12 |
| 2024 | 149,328 | 42.5% | 12 of 12 |
| 2025 | 145,340 | 41.5% | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 40.0 | 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 Butt Valley
More plants operated by Pacific Gas & Electric Co.
Questions about Butt Valley
How much power does Butt Valley produce?
Butt Valley reported 145,340 MWh (145 GWh) of net generation in 2025, a 41.5% capacity factor on 40 MW of nameplate capacity.
Where is Butt Valley?
Butt Valley is in Plumas County, California, at 40.1757, −121.1907. It is in the California Independent System Operator balancing area (CISO).
Who operates Butt Valley?
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 Butt Valley start operating?
Its first generator began operating in December 1958, according to EIA-860M.
Does InfraMap have power prices for Butt Valley?
Yes. InfraMap has CAISO day-ahead and real-time prices at 1 price node linked to Butt Valley, 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
- Plant names from OpenStreetMap, © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)
Page updated 2026-10-04 from the InfraMap data build. Methodology · Data sources · EIA plant page