Jaybird
Hydro power plant in El Dorado County, California. 161.6 MW of nameplate capacity across 2 generators, operated by Sacramento Municipal Util Dist.
Also known as Jaybird Powerhouse · EIA plant 431
Analyst: free account, 1 question a day.
Key facts
- Capacity
- 161.6 MWNameplate
- Generators
- 2 operatingEIA-860M, August 2026
- Operating since
- April 1961First generator online
- Operator
- Sacramento Municipal Util DistEIA operator ID 16534
- Grid
- BANCBalancing authority BANC
- Price nodes
- None linkedNo verified ISO node
- Location
- El Dorado County, CA38.8340, −120.5318
- EIA plant ID
- 431EIA plant page
Data as of EIA-860M August 2026 (published 2026-09-24). Capacity is nameplate, not live output.
How much power Jaybird produces
Free · EIA-923Net generation, 2025
485 GWh
484,740 MWh, final
Capacity factor, 2025
34.2%
2024: 29.5%
January to July 2026
247 GWh
Provisional
Range, 2015 to 2025
165.2–780.0
GWh a year. Low 2015, high 2017
| Year | Net generation, MWh | Capacity factor | Months reported |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 612,984 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2001 | 118,497 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2002 | 428,934 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2003 | 492,547 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2004 | 416,183 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2005 | 687,251 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2006 | 847,841 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2007 | 358,229 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2008 | 288,075 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2009 | 453,027 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2010 | 585,707 | 41.4% | 12 of 12 |
| 2011 | 857,683 | 60.6% | 12 of 12 |
| 2012 | 446,981 | 31.5% | 12 of 12 |
| 2013 | 347,008 | 24.5% | 12 of 12 |
| 2014 | 242,172 | 17.1% | 12 of 12 |
| 2015 | 165,165 | 11.7% | 12 of 12 |
| 2016 | 575,860 | 40.6% | 12 of 12 |
| 2017 | 779,966 | 55.1% | 12 of 12 |
| 2018 | 394,703 | 27.9% | 12 of 12 |
| 2019 | 644,020 | 45.5% | 12 of 12 |
| 2020 | 269,887 | 19.0% | 12 of 12 |
| 2021 | 184,433 | 13.0% | 12 of 12 |
| 2022 | 345,635 | 24.4% | 12 of 12 |
| 2023 | 670,971 | 47.4% | 12 of 12 |
| 2024 | 419,161 | 29.5% | 12 of 12 |
| 2025 | 484,740 | 34.2% | 12 of 12 |
| 2026 (provisional, partial year) | 247,216 | 30.1% | 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 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| H1 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 80.8 | April 1961 |
| H2 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 80.8 | March 1962 |
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 Sacramento Municipal Util Dist as the operator, which is not always the owner.
Modeled data
ProPro adds modeled values for this plant. Everything above stays free.
300 analyst questions a month, plus MCP
Query Jaybird and 14,224 other projects from Claude or your own tools. Free accounts get 1 question a day.
Power plants near Jaybird
More plants operated by Sacramento Municipal Util Dist
Questions about Jaybird
How much power does Jaybird produce?
Jaybird reported 484,740 MWh (485 GWh) of net generation in 2025, a 34.2% capacity factor on 161.6 MW of nameplate capacity. From January to July 2026 it reported 247 GWh, which is provisional.
Where is Jaybird?
Jaybird is in El Dorado County, California, at 38.8341, −120.5318. It is in the Balancing Authority of Northern California balancing area (BANC).
Who operates Jaybird?
EIA-860M for August 2026 lists Sacramento Municipal Util Dist as the operator (EIA operator ID 16534). The operator is not always the owner.
When did Jaybird start operating?
Its first generator began operating in April 1961, 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