Elephant Butte
Hydro power plant in Sierra County, New Mexico. 27.9 MW of nameplate capacity across 3 generators, operated by U S Bureau of Reclamation.
Also known as Elephant Butte Hydroelectric Plant · EIA plant 6402
Analyst: free account, 1 question a day.
Key facts
- Capacity
- 27.9 MWNameplate
- Generators
- 3 operatingEIA-860M, August 2026
- Operating since
- November 1940First generator online
- Operator
- U S Bureau of ReclamationEIA operator ID 2518
- Grid
- WACMBalancing authority WACM
- Price nodes
- None linkedNo verified ISO node
- Location
- Sierra County, NM33.1534, −107.1920
- EIA plant ID
- 6402EIA plant page
Data as of EIA-860M August 2026 (published 2026-09-24). Capacity is nameplate, not live output.
How much power Elephant Butte produces
Free · EIA-923Net generation, 2025
16.6 GWh
16,624 MWh, final
Capacity factor, 2025
6.8%
2024: 23.2%
January to July 2026
Not reported
Provisional. 0 of 7 months reported
Range, 2015 to 2025
−31.6–56.9
GWh a year. Low 2023, high 2024
| Year | Net generation, MWh | Capacity factor | Months reported |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 90,884 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2001 | 96,822 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2002 | 77,855 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2003 | 29,552 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2004 | 27,631 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2005 | 45,957 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2006 | 33,859 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2007 | 56,003 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2008 | 62,979 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2009 | 54,948 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2010 | 67,473 | 27.6% | 12 of 12 |
| 2011 | 33,308 | 13.6% | 12 of 12 |
| 2012 | 28,732 | 11.7% | 12 of 12 |
| 2013 | 9,308 | 3.8% | 12 of 12 |
| 2014 | 12,799 | 5.2% | 12 of 12 |
| 2015 | 37,645 | 15.4% | 12 of 12 |
| 2016 | 43,491 | 17.7% | 12 of 12 |
| 2017 | 44,865 | 18.4% | 12 of 12 |
| 2018 | 39,524 | 16.2% | 12 of 12 |
| 2019 | 47,702 | 19.5% | 12 of 12 |
| 2020 | 53,695 | 21.9% | 12 of 12 |
| 2021 | 14,585 | 6.0% | 12 of 12 |
| 2022 | 18,302 | 7.5% | 12 of 12 |
| 2023 | −31,601 | -12.9% | 12 of 12 |
| 2024 | 56,931 | 23.2% | 12 of 12 |
| 2025 | 16,624 | 6.8% | 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 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 | 9.3 | November 1940 |
| 2 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 9.3 | November 1940 |
| 3 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 9.3 | November 1940 |
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 Elephant Butte
More plants operated by U S Bureau of Reclamation
Questions about Elephant Butte
How much power does Elephant Butte produce?
Elephant Butte reported 16,624 MWh (16.6 GWh) of net generation in 2025, a 6.8% capacity factor on 27.9 MW of nameplate capacity.
Where is Elephant Butte?
Elephant Butte is in Sierra County, New Mexico, at 33.1534, −107.1920. It is in the Western Area Power Administration - Rocky Mountain Region balancing area (WACM).
Who operates Elephant Butte?
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 Elephant Butte start operating?
Its first generator began operating in November 1940, 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