Drop 3 (CA)
Hydro power plant in Imperial County, California. 9.2 MW of nameplate capacity across 2 generators, operated by Imperial Irrigation District.
Also known as Drop 3 · EIA plant 386
Analyst: free account, 1 question a day.
Key facts
- Capacity
- 9.2 MWNameplate
- Generators
- 2 operatingEIA-860M, August 2026
- Operating since
- February 1941First generator online
- Operator
- Imperial Irrigation DistrictEIA operator ID 9216
- Grid
- IIDBalancing authority IID
- Price nodes
- None linkedNo verified ISO node
- Location
- Imperial County, CA32.7054, −115.1261
- EIA plant ID
- 386EIA plant page
Data as of EIA-860M August 2026 (published 2026-09-24). Capacity is nameplate, not live output.
How much power Drop 3 (CA) produces
Free · EIA-923Net generation, 2025
15.3 GWh
15,268 MWh, final
Capacity factor, 2025
18.9%
2024: 32.7%
January to July 2026
Not reported
Provisional. 0 of 7 months reported
Range, 2015 to 2025
15.3–46.4
GWh a year. Low 2025, high 2016
| Year | Net generation, MWh | Capacity factor | Months reported |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 53,725 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2001 | 51,596 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2002 | 52,255 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2003 | 51,068 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2004 | 48,825 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2005 | 45,390 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2006 | 50,751 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2007 | 45,862 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2008 | 48,564 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2009 | 48,060 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2010 | 48,671 | 56.7% | 12 of 12 |
| 2011 | 52,085 | 60.7% | 12 of 12 |
| 2012 | 50,412 | 58.6% | 12 of 12 |
| 2013 | 42,941 | 50.0% | 12 of 12 |
| 2014 | 41,178 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2015 | 40,537 | 50.3% | 12 of 12 |
| 2016 | 46,355 | 57.4% | 12 of 12 |
| 2017 | 40,747 | 50.6% | 12 of 12 |
| 2018 | 41,904 | 52.0% | 12 of 12 |
| 2019 | 41,002 | 50.9% | 12 of 12 |
| 2020 | 40,176 | 49.7% | 12 of 12 |
| 2021 | 40,420 | 50.2% | 12 of 12 |
| 2022 | 34,570 | 42.9% | 12 of 12 |
| 2023 | 27,638 | 34.3% | 12 of 12 |
| 2024 | 26,402 | 32.7% | 12 of 12 |
| 2025 | 15,268 | 18.9% | 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 accountNo verified ISO price node is linked to this plant, or its price history could not load.
Emissions
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 | 4.8 | February 1941 |
| 2 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 4.4 | November 1966 |
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 Imperial 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 Drop 3 (CA)
More plants operated by Imperial Irrigation District
Questions about Drop 3 (CA)
How much power does Drop 3 (CA) produce?
Drop 3 (CA) reported 15,268 MWh (15.3 GWh) of net generation in 2025, a 18.9% capacity factor on 9.2 MW of nameplate capacity.
Where is Drop 3 (CA)?
Drop 3 (CA) is in Imperial County, California, at 32.7054, −115.1261. It is in the Imperial Irrigation District balancing area (IID).
Who operates Drop 3 (CA)?
EIA-860M for August 2026 lists Imperial Irrigation District as the operator (EIA operator ID 9216). The operator is not always the owner.
When did Drop 3 (CA) start operating?
Its first generator began operating in February 1941, according to EIA-860M.
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)
- Plant names from OpenStreetMap, © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)
Page updated 2026-10-04 from the InfraMap data build. Methodology · Data sources · EIA plant page