El Vado Dam
Hydro power plant in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico. 8 MW of nameplate capacity across 1 generator, operated by Los Alamos County - (NM).
Also known as El Vado Generating Station · EIA plant 7593
Analyst: free account, 1 question a day.
Key facts
- Capacity
- 8 MWNameplate
- Generators
- 1 operatingEIA-860M, August 2026
- Operating since
- May 1988First generator online
- Operator
- Los Alamos County - (NM)EIA operator ID 11204
- Grid
- WACMBalancing authority WACM
- Price nodes
- None linkedNo verified ISO node
- Location
- Rio Arriba County, NM36.5928, −106.7321
- EIA plant ID
- 7593EIA plant page
Data as of EIA-860M August 2026 (published 2026-09-24). Capacity is nameplate, not live output.
How much power El Vado Dam produces
Free · EIA-923Net generation, 2025
4.36 GWh
4,361 MWh, final
Capacity factor, 2025
6.2%
2024: 0.0%
January to July 2026
Not reported
Provisional. 0 of 7 months reported
Range, 2015 to 2025
0.0–33.1
GWh a year. Low 2015, high 2019
| 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 | 32,891 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2003 | 32,891 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2004 | 24,938 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2005 | 21,676 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2006 | 25,944 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2007 | 24,485 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2008 | 43,246 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2009 | 37,330 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2010 | 35,329 | 50.4% | 12 of 12 |
| 2011 | 32,524 | 46.4% | 12 of 12 |
| 2012 | 27,200 | 38.7% | 12 of 12 |
| 2013 | 14,429 | 20.6% | 12 of 12 |
| 2014 | 0 | 0.0% | 12 of 12 |
| 2015 | 0 | 0.0% | 12 of 12 |
| 2016 | 0 | 0.0% | 12 of 12 |
| 2017 | 18,194 | 26.0% | 12 of 12 |
| 2018 | 1,598 | 2.3% | 12 of 12 |
| 2019 | 33,062 | 47.2% | 12 of 12 |
| 2020 | 13,947 | 19.8% | 12 of 12 |
| 2021 | 8,285 | 11.8% | 12 of 12 |
| 2022 | 3,092 | 4.4% | 12 of 12 |
| 2023 | 1,525 | 2.2% | 12 of 12 |
| 2024 | 0 | 0.0% | 12 of 12 |
| 2025 | 4,361 | 6.2% | 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 | 8.0 | May 1988 |
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 Los Alamos County - (NM) 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 El Vado Dam and 14,224 other projects from Claude or your own tools. Free accounts get 1 question a day.
Power plants near El Vado Dam
More plants operated by Los Alamos County - (NM)
Questions about El Vado Dam
How much power does El Vado Dam produce?
El Vado Dam reported 4,361 MWh (4.36 GWh) of net generation in 2025, a 6.2% capacity factor on 8 MW of nameplate capacity.
Where is El Vado Dam?
El Vado Dam is in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, at 36.5928, −106.7321. It is in the Western Area Power Administration - Rocky Mountain Region balancing area (WACM).
Who operates El Vado Dam?
EIA-860M for August 2026 lists Los Alamos County - (NM) as the operator (EIA operator ID 11204). The operator is not always the owner.
When did El Vado Dam start operating?
Its first generator began operating in May 1988, 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