Palomar Energy
Natural gas power plant in San Diego County, California. 559 MW of nameplate capacity across 3 generators, operated by San Diego Gas & Electric Co.
Also known as Palomar Energy Center · EIA plant 55985
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Key facts
- Capacity
- 559 MWNameplate
- Generators
- 3 operatingEIA-860M, August 2026
- Operating since
- October 2005First generator online
- Operator
- San Diego Gas & Electric CoEIA operator ID 16609
- Grid
- CAISOBalancing authority CISO
- Price nodes
- 1 CAISO nodeResource nodes with prices
- Location
- San Diego County, CA33.1197, −117.1178
- EIA plant ID
- 55985EIA plant page
Data as of EIA-860M August 2026 (published 2026-09-24). Capacity is nameplate, not live output.
How much power Palomar Energy produces
Free · EIA-923Net generation, 2025
1.47 TWh
1,469,615 MWh, final
Capacity factor, 2025
30.0%
2024: 18.9%
January to July 2026
235 GWh
Provisional
Range, 2015 to 2025
0.9–3.0
TWh a year. Low 2024, high 2015
| Year | Net generation, MWh | Capacity factor | Months reported |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Not reported | Not reported | 0 of 12 |
| 2001 | Not reported | Not reported | 0 of 12 |
| 2002 | Not reported | Not reported | 0 of 12 |
| 2003 | Not reported | Not reported | 0 of 12 |
| 2004 | Not reported | Not reported | 0 of 12 |
| 2005 | Not reported | Not reported | 0 of 12 |
| 2006 | 2,475,090 | Not reported | 10 of 12 |
| 2007 | 3,352,807 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2008 | 3,590,373 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2009 | 3,296,813 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2010 | 3,197,928 | 65.3% | 12 of 12 |
| 2011 | 2,154,623 | 44.0% | 12 of 12 |
| 2012 | 2,793,674 | 56.9% | 12 of 12 |
| 2013 | 3,773,689 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2014 | 2,598,647 | 53.1% | 12 of 12 |
| 2015 | 3,002,429 | 61.3% | 12 of 12 |
| 2016 | 2,299,052 | 46.8% | 12 of 12 |
| 2017 | 2,517,137 | 51.4% | 12 of 12 |
| 2018 | 1,925,066 | 39.3% | 12 of 12 |
| 2019 | 1,182,812 | 24.2% | 12 of 12 |
| 2020 | 2,029,259 | 41.3% | 12 of 12 |
| 2021 | 1,835,521 | 37.5% | 12 of 12 |
| 2022 | 2,381,530 | 48.6% | 12 of 12 |
| 2023 | 1,279,412 | 26.1% | 12 of 12 |
| 2024 | 925,649 | 18.9% | 12 of 12 |
| 2025 | 1,469,615 | 30.0% | 12 of 12 |
| 2026 (provisional, partial year) | 235,423 | 8.3% | 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 CAMPDCO₂, 2025
613,662
US short tons. 2024: 393,058
SO₂, 2025
3
US short tons
NOx, 2025
34
US short tons
CO₂ per MWh, calculated
0.42 t
About 835 lb per MWh
2 of 2 EPA units reported CO₂ in 2025 (CTG1, CTG2), matched to EIA plant 55985 through the EPA–EIA crosswalk. The per-MWh rate is EPA CO₂ divided by EIA-923 net generation. The two reporting boundaries can differ.
Water use
Free · EIA-923 cooling, USGSWithdrawal, 2024
365
million gallons
Consumption, 2024
250
million gallons
Source
Municipal
Discharge, Reclaimed. Induced-draft tower
Watershed stress
Low · 0.322
USGS SUI, HUC12 Lower Escondido Creek
12 of 12 cooling months report withdrawal. Reclaimed water or plant effluent; not tested. Blank volumes are unreported, not zero.
Generators
Free · EIA-860M| Generator | Technology | Nameplate MW | Online since |
|---|---|---|---|
| CTG1 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | 165.0 | October 2005 |
| CTG2 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | 165.0 | November 2005 |
| STG | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | 229.0 | January 2006 |
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 San Diego Gas & Electric Co as the operator, which is not always the owner.
Modeled data
ProPro adds modeled values for this plant. Everything above stays free.
Generation potential vs reported
Monthly potential at seasonal net capability, next to EIA-923 output. Shows how much of the plant's capability was used.
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Power plants near Palomar Energy
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Questions about Palomar Energy
How much power does Palomar Energy produce?
Palomar Energy reported 1,469,615 MWh (1.47 TWh) of net generation in 2025, a 30.0% capacity factor on 559 MW of nameplate capacity. From January to July 2026 it reported 235 GWh, which is provisional.
Where is Palomar Energy?
Palomar Energy is in San Diego County, California, at 33.1197, −117.1178. It is in the California Independent System Operator balancing area (CISO).
Who operates Palomar Energy?
EIA-860M for August 2026 lists San Diego Gas & Electric Co as the operator (EIA operator ID 16609). The operator is not always the owner.
When did Palomar Energy start operating?
Its first generator began operating in October 2005, according to EIA-860M.
Does InfraMap have power prices for Palomar Energy?
Yes. InfraMap has CAISO day-ahead and real-time prices at 1 price node linked to Palomar Energy, 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)
- EPA CAMPD annual emissions through the EPA–EIA crosswalk, 1995 to 2025
- CAISO day-ahead and real-time prices; node and hub assignments as of 2026-10-05
- EIA-923 cooling water 2024 and the USGS surface water supply and use index, Water years 2010-2020 (Oct 2009 to Sep 2020), mean of monthly values
- Plant names from OpenStreetMap, © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)
Page updated 2026-10-04 from the InfraMap data build. Methodology · Data sources · EIA plant page