Big Creek 3
Fresno County, California · EIA plant ID 319 · Operator: Southern California Edison Co
Nameplate175MWSummer 174 MW
Generators5in service
Net generation764GWh12 mo to Aug 2026
Capacity factor50%hydro units, summer MW
Heat rate—thermal plants only
First online1923
The 12-month figures include preliminary EIA-923 months, which EIA revises. Final data runs through Dec 2025.
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 | 570.8 | 35.8% | — |
| 2002 | 718.5 | 45.1% | — |
| 2003 | 752.4 | 47.2% | — |
| 2004 | 654.5 | 41.0% | — |
| 2005 | 946.3 | 59.4% | — |
| 2006 | 974.4 | 61.2% | — |
| 2007 | 422.5 | 26.5% | — |
| 2008 | 486.6 | 30.4% | — |
| 2009 | 648.6 | 40.7% | — |
| 2010 | 842 | 52.8% | — |
| 2011 | 948.6 | 59.6% | — |
| 2012 | 450.2 | 29.5% | — |
| 2013 | 465 | 30.6% | — |
| 2014 | 302.9 | 19.9% | — |
| 2015 | 176.8 | 11.6% | — |
| 2016 | 763.4 | 50.1% | — |
| 2017 | 1,071.4 | 70.5% | — |
| 2018 | 678.8 | 44.7% | — |
| 2019 | 859.3 | 56.5% | — |
| 2020 | 404.9 | 26.6% | — |
| 2021 | 336.3 | 22.1% | — |
| 2022 | 572.7 | 37.7% | — |
| 2023 | 377.2 | 24.8% | — |
| 2024 | 630.3 | 41.4% | — |
| 2025 | 673.6 | 44.3% | — |
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 | 34 | 34 | Oct 1923 | Operating | — | coming soon |
| 2 | Conventional Hydroelectric | HY | 34 | 34 | Sep 1923 | Operating | — | coming soon |
| 3 | Conventional Hydroelectric | HY | 34 | 33 | Oct 1923 | Operating | — | coming soon |
| 4 | Conventional Hydroelectric | HY | 36 | 36 | Apr 1948 | Operating | — | coming soon |
| 5 | Conventional Hydroelectric | HY | 36.5 | 36.5 | Feb 1980 | Operating | — | coming soon |
Owner / operator
Operator: Southern California Edison Co. Ownership shares by in-service nameplate MW (EIA-860 Schedule 4; units not listed there are wholly owned by the operator).
| Southern California Edison Co | 100.0% | 175 MW |
Nearby plants
Within 80 km.
| Big Creek 8 | 75 MW | 8.5 km |
| Mammoth Pool | 190 MW | 9.1 km |
| Big Creek 2 | 67 MW | 9.1 km |
| Big Creek 2A | 110 MW | 9.1 km |
| Big Creek 4 | 100 MW | 9.2 km |
| A G Wishon | 13 MW | 10.5 km |