Merced Falls
Hydro power plant in Merced County, California. 3.4 MW of nameplate capacity across 1 generator, operated by Merced Irrigation District.
Also known as Merced Falls Hydroelectric Project · EIA plant 258
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Key facts
- Capacity
- 3.4 MWNameplate
- Generators
- 1 operatingEIA-860M, August 2026
- Operating since
- July 1930First generator online
- Operator
- Merced Irrigation DistrictEIA operator ID 12312
- Grid
- CAISOBalancing authority CISO
- Price nodes
- 1 CAISO nodeResource nodes with prices
- Location
- Merced County, CA37.5230, −120.3299
- EIA plant ID
- 258EIA plant page
Data as of EIA-860M August 2026 (published 2026-09-24). Capacity is nameplate, not live output.
How much power Merced Falls produces
Free · EIA-923Net generation, 2025
8.36 GWh
8,355 MWh, final
Capacity factor, 2025
28.1%
2024: 31.3%
January to July 2026
Not reported
Provisional. 0 of 7 months reported
Range, 2015 to 2025
−0.1–13.2
GWh a year. Low 2015, high 2017
| Year | Net generation, MWh | Capacity factor | Months reported |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 13,940 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2001 | 12,034 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2002 | 10,766 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2003 | 11,314 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2004 | 11,486 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2005 | 14,094 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2006 | 14,337 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2007 | 11,386 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2008 | 8,926 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2009 | 10,890 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2010 | 12,484 | 41.9% | 12 of 12 |
| 2011 | 16,720 | 56.1% | 12 of 12 |
| 2012 | 10,249 | 34.3% | 12 of 12 |
| 2013 | 7,141 | 24.0% | 12 of 12 |
| 2014 | 4,334 | 14.6% | 12 of 12 |
| 2015 | −78 | -0.3% | 12 of 12 |
| 2016 | 7,997 | 26.8% | 12 of 12 |
| 2017 | 13,181 | 44.3% | 12 of 12 |
| 2018 | 9,677 | 32.5% | 12 of 12 |
| 2019 | 12,524 | 42.0% | 12 of 12 |
| 2020 | 7,116 | 23.8% | 12 of 12 |
| 2021 | 6,349 | 21.3% | 12 of 12 |
| 2022 | 6,386 | 21.4% | 12 of 12 |
| 2023 | 11,694 | 39.3% | 12 of 12 |
| 2024 | 9,352 | 31.3% | 12 of 12 |
| 2025 | 8,355 | 28.1% | 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 | 3.4 | July 1930 |
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 Merced Irrigation District 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 Merced Falls
More plants operated by Merced Irrigation District
Questions about Merced Falls
How much power does Merced Falls produce?
Merced Falls reported 8,355 MWh (8.36 GWh) of net generation in 2025, a 28.1% capacity factor on 3.4 MW of nameplate capacity.
Where is Merced Falls?
Merced Falls is in Merced County, California, at 37.5230, −120.3299. It is in the California Independent System Operator balancing area (CISO).
Who operates Merced Falls?
EIA-860M for August 2026 lists Merced Irrigation District as the operator (EIA operator ID 12312). The operator is not always the owner.
When did Merced Falls start operating?
Its first generator began operating in July 1930, according to EIA-860M.
Does InfraMap have power prices for Merced Falls?
Yes. InfraMap has CAISO day-ahead and real-time prices at 1 price node linked to Merced Falls, 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