Big Creek 4
Hydro power plant in Madera County, California. 100 MW of nameplate capacity across 2 generators, operated by Southern California Edison Co.
Also known as Big Creek 4 Power Station · EIA plant 320
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Key facts
- Capacity
- 100 MWNameplate
- Generators
- 2 operatingEIA-860M, August 2026
- Operating since
- June 1951First generator online
- Operator
- Southern California Edison CoEIA operator ID 17609
- Grid
- CAISOBalancing authority CISO
- Price nodes
- 2 CAISO nodesResource nodes with prices
- Location
- Madera County, CA37.1390, −119.4898
- EIA plant ID
- 320EIA plant page
Data as of EIA-860M August 2026 (published 2026-09-24). Capacity is nameplate, not live output.
How much power Big Creek 4 produces
Free · EIA-923Net generation, 2025
365 GWh
365,498 MWh, final
Capacity factor, 2025
41.7%
2024: 43.7%
January to July 2026
287 GWh
Provisional
Range, 2015 to 2025
76.6–631.4
GWh a year. Low 2015, high 2017
| Year | Net generation, MWh | Capacity factor | Months reported |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 448,810 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2001 | 301,216 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2002 | 354,175 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2003 | 389,426 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2004 | 397,577 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2005 | 541,860 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2006 | 487,480 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2007 | 215,964 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2008 | 297,172 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2009 | 385,825 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2010 | 487,279 | 55.6% | 12 of 12 |
| 2011 | 564,645 | 64.5% | 12 of 12 |
| 2012 | 248,387 | 28.3% | 12 of 12 |
| 2013 | 221,660 | 25.3% | 12 of 12 |
| 2014 | 133,078 | 15.2% | 12 of 12 |
| 2015 | 76,577 | 8.7% | 12 of 12 |
| 2016 | 378,638 | 43.1% | 12 of 12 |
| 2017 | 631,388 | 72.1% | 12 of 12 |
| 2018 | 279,726 | 31.9% | 12 of 12 |
| 2019 | 513,541 | 58.6% | 12 of 12 |
| 2020 | 215,539 | 24.5% | 12 of 12 |
| 2021 | 155,216 | 17.7% | 12 of 12 |
| 2022 | 254,750 | 29.1% | 12 of 12 |
| 2023 | 450,605 | 51.4% | 12 of 12 |
| 2024 | 384,053 | 43.7% | 12 of 12 |
| 2025 | 365,498 | 41.7% | 12 of 12 |
| 2026 (provisional, partial year) | 286,525 | 56.3% | 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 | 50.0 | June 1951 |
| 2 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 50.0 | July 1951 |
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 4
More plants operated by Southern California Edison Co
Questions about Big Creek 4
How much power does Big Creek 4 produce?
Big Creek 4 reported 365,498 MWh (365 GWh) of net generation in 2025, a 41.7% capacity factor on 100 MW of nameplate capacity. From January to July 2026 it reported 287 GWh, which is provisional.
Where is Big Creek 4?
Big Creek 4 is in Madera County, California, at 37.1390, −119.4898. It is in the California Independent System Operator balancing area (CISO).
Who operates Big Creek 4?
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 4 start operating?
Its first generator began operating in June 1951, according to EIA-860M.
Does InfraMap have power prices for Big Creek 4?
Yes. InfraMap has CAISO day-ahead and real-time prices at 2 price nodes linked to Big Creek 4, 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