French Meadows
Hydro power plant in Placer County, California. 15.3 MW of nameplate capacity across 1 generator, operated by Placer County Water Agency - (CA).
Also known as French Meadows Power Station · EIA plant 424
Analyst: free account, 1 question a day.
Key facts
- Capacity
- 15.3 MWNameplate
- Generators
- 1 operatingEIA-860M, August 2026
- Operating since
- October 1966First generator online
- Operator
- Placer County Water Agency - (CA)EIA operator ID 15127
- Grid
- CAISOBalancing authority CISO
- Price nodes
- 1 CAISO nodeResource nodes with prices
- Location
- Placer County, CA39.0780, −120.4061
- EIA plant ID
- 424EIA plant page
Data as of EIA-860M August 2026 (published 2026-09-24). Capacity is nameplate, not live output.
How much power French Meadows produces
Free · EIA-923Net generation, 2025
42.6 GWh
42,583 MWh, final
Capacity factor, 2025
31.8%
2024: 37.8%
January to July 2026
Not reported
Provisional. 0 of 7 months reported
Range, 2015 to 2025
0.6–106.2
GWh a year. Low 2022, high 2017
| Year | Net generation, MWh | Capacity factor | Months reported |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 68,107 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2001 | 29,851 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2002 | 45,401 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2003 | 66,966 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2004 | 46,976 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2005 | 69,750 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2006 | 97,671 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2007 | 32,112 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2008 | 27,653 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2009 | 54,075 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2010 | 57,728 | 43.1% | 12 of 12 |
| 2011 | 93,280 | 69.6% | 12 of 12 |
| 2012 | 46,917 | 34.9% | 12 of 12 |
| 2013 | 26,863 | 20.0% | 12 of 12 |
| 2014 | 21,280 | 15.9% | 12 of 12 |
| 2015 | 9,245 | 6.9% | 12 of 12 |
| 2016 | 54,456 | 40.5% | 12 of 12 |
| 2017 | 106,178 | 79.2% | 12 of 12 |
| 2018 | 38,058 | 28.4% | 12 of 12 |
| 2019 | 84,621 | 63.1% | 12 of 12 |
| 2020 | 29,036 | 21.6% | 12 of 12 |
| 2021 | 9,219 | 6.9% | 12 of 12 |
| 2022 | 623 | 0.5% | 12 of 12 |
| 2023 | 67,365 | 50.3% | 12 of 12 |
| 2024 | 50,835 | 37.8% | 12 of 12 |
| 2025 | 42,583 | 31.8% | 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 | 15.3 | October 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 Placer County Water Agency - (CA) 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 French Meadows
More plants operated by Placer County Water Agency - (CA)
Questions about French Meadows
How much power does French Meadows produce?
French Meadows reported 42,583 MWh (42.6 GWh) of net generation in 2025, a 31.8% capacity factor on 15.3 MW of nameplate capacity.
Where is French Meadows?
French Meadows is in Placer County, California, at 39.0780, −120.4061. It is in the California Independent System Operator balancing area (CISO).
Who operates French Meadows?
EIA-860M for August 2026 lists Placer County Water Agency - (CA) as the operator (EIA operator ID 15127). The operator is not always the owner.
When did French Meadows start operating?
Its first generator began operating in October 1966, according to EIA-860M.
Does InfraMap have power prices for French Meadows?
Yes. InfraMap has CAISO day-ahead and real-time prices at 1 price node linked to French Meadows, 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