Big Creek 3
Hydro power plant in Fresno County, California. 174.5 MW of nameplate capacity across 5 generators, operated by Southern California Edison Co.
Also known as Big Creek 3 Power Station · EIA plant 319
Analyst: free account, 1 question a day.
Key facts
- Capacity
- 174.5 MWNameplate
- Generators
- 5 operatingEIA-860M, August 2026
- Operating since
- September 1923First generator online
- Operator
- Southern California Edison CoEIA operator ID 17609
- Grid
- CAISOBalancing authority CISO
- Price nodes
- 1 CAISO nodeResource nodes with prices
- Location
- Fresno County, CA37.1485, −119.3866
- EIA plant ID
- 319EIA plant page
Data as of EIA-860M August 2026 (published 2026-09-24). Capacity is nameplate, not live output.
How much power Big Creek 3 produces
Free · EIA-923Net generation, 2025
674 GWh
673,627 MWh, final
Capacity factor, 2025
44.1%
2024: 41.1%
January to July 2026
530 GWh
Provisional
Range, 2015 to 2025
0.2–1.1
TWh a year. Low 2015, high 2017
| Year | Net generation, MWh | Capacity factor | Months reported |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 837,543 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2001 | 570,803 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2002 | 718,507 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2003 | 752,413 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2004 | 654,490 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2005 | 946,277 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2006 | 974,383 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2007 | 422,450 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2008 | 486,576 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2009 | 648,568 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2010 | 841,970 | 55.1% | 12 of 12 |
| 2011 | 948,553 | 62.1% | 12 of 12 |
| 2012 | 450,156 | 29.4% | 12 of 12 |
| 2013 | 465,038 | 30.4% | 12 of 12 |
| 2014 | 302,929 | 19.8% | 12 of 12 |
| 2015 | 176,811 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2016 | 763,372 | 49.8% | 12 of 12 |
| 2017 | 1,071,415 | 70.1% | 12 of 12 |
| 2018 | 678,769 | 44.4% | 12 of 12 |
| 2019 | 859,281 | 56.2% | 12 of 12 |
| 2020 | 404,914 | 26.4% | 12 of 12 |
| 2021 | 336,277 | 22.0% | 12 of 12 |
| 2022 | 572,734 | 37.5% | 12 of 12 |
| 2023 | 377,227 | 24.7% | 12 of 12 |
| 2024 | 630,293 | 41.1% | 12 of 12 |
| 2025 | 673,627 | 44.1% | 12 of 12 |
| 2026 (provisional, partial year) | 529,854 | 59.7% | 7 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 | 34.0 | October 1923 |
| 2 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 34.0 | September 1923 |
| 3 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 34.0 | October 1923 |
| 4 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 36.0 | April 1948 |
| 5 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 36.5 | February 1980 |
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 Southern California Edison 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 Big Creek 3
More plants operated by Southern California Edison Co
Questions about Big Creek 3
How much power does Big Creek 3 produce?
Big Creek 3 reported 673,627 MWh (674 GWh) of net generation in 2025, a 44.1% capacity factor on 174.5 MW of nameplate capacity. From January to July 2026 it reported 530 GWh, which is provisional.
Where is Big Creek 3?
Big Creek 3 is in Fresno County, California, at 37.1485, −119.3866. It is in the California Independent System Operator balancing area (CISO).
Who operates Big Creek 3?
EIA-860M for August 2026 lists Southern California Edison Co as the operator (EIA operator ID 17609). The operator is not always the owner.
When did Big Creek 3 start operating?
Its first generator began operating in September 1923, according to EIA-860M.
Does InfraMap have power prices for Big Creek 3?
Yes. InfraMap has CAISO day-ahead and real-time prices at 1 price node linked to Big Creek 3, 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