New Melones
Hydro power plant in Tuolumne County, California. 300 MW of nameplate capacity across 2 generators, operated by U S Bureau of Reclamation.
Also known as New Melones Dam Plant · EIA plant 6158
Analyst: free account, 1 question a day.
Key facts
- Capacity
- 300 MWNameplate
- Generators
- 2 operatingEIA-860M, August 2026
- Operating since
- June 1979First generator online
- Operator
- U S Bureau of ReclamationEIA operator ID 2518
- Grid
- BANCBalancing authority BANC
- Price nodes
- None linkedNo verified ISO node
- Location
- Tuolumne County, CA37.9469, −120.5282
- EIA plant ID
- 6158EIA plant page
Data as of EIA-860M August 2026 (published 2026-09-24). Capacity is nameplate, not live output.
How much power New Melones produces
Free · EIA-923Net generation, 2025
271 GWh
270,595 MWh, final
Capacity factor, 2025
10.3%
2024: 19.7%
January to July 2026
292 GWh
Provisional
Range, 2015 to 2025
130.2–748.5
GWh a year. Low 2015, high 2019
| Year | Net generation, MWh | Capacity factor | Months reported |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 585,328 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2001 | 384,133 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2002 | 370,996 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2003 | 364,413 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2004 | 335,353 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2005 | 372,957 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2006 | 910,224 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2007 | 469,681 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2008 | 365,676 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2009 | 351,490 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2010 | 339,801 | 12.9% | 12 of 12 |
| 2011 | 705,426 | 26.8% | 12 of 12 |
| 2012 | 439,711 | 16.7% | 12 of 12 |
| 2013 | 410,549 | 15.6% | 12 of 12 |
| 2014 | 275,570 | 10.5% | 12 of 12 |
| 2015 | 130,222 | 5.0% | 12 of 12 |
| 2016 | 212,094 | 8.0% | 12 of 12 |
| 2017 | 713,048 | 27.1% | 12 of 12 |
| 2018 | 472,100 | 18.0% | 12 of 12 |
| 2019 | 748,456 | 28.5% | 12 of 12 |
| 2020 | 433,376 | 16.4% | 12 of 12 |
| 2021 | 379,400 | 14.4% | 12 of 12 |
| 2022 | 268,276 | 10.2% | 12 of 12 |
| 2023 | 467,451 | 17.8% | 12 of 12 |
| 2024 | 520,214 | 19.7% | 12 of 12 |
| 2025 | 270,595 | 10.3% | 12 of 12 |
| 2026 (provisional, partial year) | 291,984 | 19.1% | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 150.0 | June 1979 |
| 2 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 150.0 | June 1979 |
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 U S Bureau of Reclamation 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 New Melones
More plants operated by U S Bureau of Reclamation
Questions about New Melones
How much power does New Melones produce?
New Melones reported 270,595 MWh (271 GWh) of net generation in 2025, a 10.3% capacity factor on 300 MW of nameplate capacity. From January to July 2026 it reported 292 GWh, which is provisional.
Where is New Melones?
New Melones is in Tuolumne County, California, at 37.9469, −120.5282. It is in the Balancing Authority of Northern California balancing area (BANC).
Who operates New Melones?
EIA-860M for August 2026 lists U S Bureau of Reclamation as the operator (EIA operator ID 2518). The operator is not always the owner.
When did New Melones start operating?
Its first generator began operating in June 1979, 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