Ralston
Hydro power plant in Placer County, California. 79.2 MW of nameplate capacity across 1 generator, operated by Placer County Water Agency - (CA).
Also known as Ralston Powerhouse · EIA plant 427
Analyst: free account, 1 question a day.
Key facts
- Capacity
- 79.2 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, CA39.0010, −120.7251
- EIA plant ID
- 427EIA plant page
Data as of EIA-860M August 2026 (published 2026-09-24). Capacity is nameplate, not live output.
How much power Ralston produces
Free · EIA-923Net generation, 2025
303 GWh
302,632 MWh, final
Capacity factor, 2025
43.6%
2024: 47.2%
January to July 2026
Not reported
Provisional. 0 of 7 months reported
Range, 2015 to 2025
7.4–538.8
GWh a year. Low 2022, high 2019
| Year | Net generation, MWh | Capacity factor | Months reported |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 402,343 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2001 | 231,042 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2002 | 257,811 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2003 | 395,806 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2004 | 363,204 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2005 | 543,407 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2006 | 555,706 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2007 | 194,732 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2008 | 206,017 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2009 | 368,943 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2010 | 362,654 | 52.3% | 12 of 12 |
| 2011 | 479,895 | 69.2% | 12 of 12 |
| 2012 | 333,506 | 47.9% | 12 of 12 |
| 2013 | 218,395 | 31.5% | 12 of 12 |
| 2014 | 200,529 | 28.9% | 12 of 12 |
| 2015 | 123,641 | 17.8% | 12 of 12 |
| 2016 | 400,971 | 57.6% | 12 of 12 |
| 2017 | 439,061 | 63.3% | 12 of 12 |
| 2018 | 324,725 | 46.8% | 12 of 12 |
| 2019 | 538,841 | 77.7% | 12 of 12 |
| 2020 | 199,300 | 28.6% | 12 of 12 |
| 2021 | 118,007 | 17.0% | 12 of 12 |
| 2022 | 7,436 | 1.1% | 12 of 12 |
| 2023 | 459,900 | 66.3% | 12 of 12 |
| 2024 | 328,100 | 47.2% | 12 of 12 |
| 2025 | 302,632 | 43.6% | 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 | 79.2 | 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 Ralston
More plants operated by Placer County Water Agency - (CA)
Questions about Ralston
How much power does Ralston produce?
Ralston reported 302,632 MWh (303 GWh) of net generation in 2025, a 43.6% capacity factor on 79.2 MW of nameplate capacity.
Where is Ralston?
Ralston is in Placer County, California, at 39.0010, −120.7251. It is in the California Independent System Operator balancing area (CISO).
Who operates Ralston?
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 Ralston start operating?
Its first generator began operating in October 1966, according to EIA-860M.
Does InfraMap have power prices for Ralston?
Yes. InfraMap has CAISO day-ahead and real-time prices at 1 price node linked to Ralston, 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