Cresta
Butte County, California · EIA plant ID 231 · Operator: Pacific Gas & Electric Co
Nameplate74MWSummer 70 MW
Generators2in service
Net generation342GWh12 mo to Dec 2025
Capacity factor56%hydro units, summer MW
Heat rate—thermal plants only
First online1949
Monthly net generation
EIA-923, all units at the plant. Net of station use; storage can go negative.
FinalPreliminary
Capacity factor by year
Net MWh ÷ (summer MW × hours), hydro units. Each year uses that year's EIA-860 ratings; the hollow dot is the latest 12 months.
Heat rate by year
Electric fuel MMBtu × 1000 ÷ net MWh (Btu/kWh, HHV), fossil units only; CT + CA counted as one combined-cycle block.
Heat rate applies to fuel-burning (thermal) units only.
Annual data table
| Year | Net GWh | Capacity factor | Heat rate (Btu/kWh) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 227.6 | 37.1% | — |
| 2002 | 239.6 | 39.1% | — |
| 2003 | 377.4 | 61.6% | — |
| 2004 | 315.8 | 51.3% | — |
| 2005 | 363.2 | 59.2% | — |
| 2006 | 439.9 | 71.7% | — |
| 2007 | 196.1 | 30.8% | — |
| 2008 | 195.2 | 30.6% | — |
| 2009 | 208 | 32.7% | — |
| 2010 | 290.3 | 45.6% | — |
| 2011 | 385.7 | 60.6% | — |
| 2012 | 220.2 | 34.5% | — |
| 2013 | 198.3 | 32.3% | — |
| 2014 | 148.1 | 24.1% | — |
| 2015 | 124.1 | 20.2% | — |
| 2016 | 250.9 | 40.8% | — |
| 2017 | 368.1 | 60.0% | — |
| 2018 | 190 | 31.0% | — |
| 2019 | 371.2 | 60.5% | — |
| 2020 | 162.9 | 26.5% | — |
| 2021 | 124.2 | 20.3% | — |
| 2022 | 155.2 | 25.3% | — |
| 2023 | 121.7 | 19.9% | — |
| 2024 | 338.1 | 55.0% | — |
| 2025 | 341.7 | 55.7% | — |
Generators
EIA-860 (annual) with EIA-860M updates through Sep 2026. EIA-923 reports generation by plant, prime mover and fuel, not by unit, so unit-level output isn't shown.
| Gen ID | Technology | Prime mover | Nameplate MW | Summer MW | Online | Status | Planned retirement | OEM / model |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Conventional Hydroelectric | HY | 36.9 | 35 | Nov 1949 | Operating | — | coming soon |
| 2 | Conventional Hydroelectric | HY | 36.9 | 35 | Jan 1950 | Operating (Out of service, expected back within the year) | — | coming soon |
Owner / operator
Operator: Pacific Gas & Electric Co. Ownership shares by in-service nameplate MW (EIA-860 Schedule 4; units not listed there are wholly owned by the operator).
| Pacific Gas & Electric Co | 100.0% | 74 MW |
Nearby plants
Within 80 km.
| Rock Creek | 126 MW | 10.4 km |
| Bucks Creek | 66 MW | 11.7 km |
| Poe | 143 MW | 12.6 km |
| Grizzly | 22 MW | 13.2 km |
| Toadtown | 2 MW | 17.4 km |
| De Sabla | 18 MW | 19.6 km |