Kern River 3
Kern County, California · EIA plant ID 339 · Operator: Southern California Edison Co
Nameplate40MWSummer 40 MW
Generators2in service
Net generation143GWh12 mo to Dec 2025
Capacity factor40%hydro units, summer MW
Heat rate—thermal plants only
First online1921
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 | 103.6 | 32.1% | — |
| 2002 | 117.3 | 36.4% | — |
| 2003 | 127.5 | 39.5% | — |
| 2004 | 47.7 | 14.8% | — |
| 2005 | 121.7 | 37.8% | — |
| 2006 | 178.8 | 55.5% | — |
| 2007 | 47.8 | 14.8% | — |
| 2008 | 69.4 | 21.5% | — |
| 2009 | 117.8 | 36.5% | — |
| 2010 | 92.5 | 28.7% | — |
| 2011 | 174.8 | 54.2% | — |
| 2012 | 102.3 | 29.0% | — |
| 2013 | 72.4 | 20.5% | — |
| 2014 | 0.4 | 0.1% | — |
| 2015 | 35.2 | 10.0% | — |
| 2016 | 117.5 | 33.3% | — |
| 2017 | 216.9 | 61.6% | — |
| 2018 | 120.1 | 34.1% | — |
| 2019 | 211.5 | 60.1% | — |
| 2020 | 100.9 | 28.6% | — |
| 2021 | 44.1 | 12.5% | — |
| 2022 | 76.3 | 21.7% | — |
| 2023 | 184.5 | 52.4% | — |
| 2024 | 142.8 | 40.4% | — |
| 2025 | 142.6 | 40.5% | — |
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 | 20.5 | 20.5 | May 1921 | Operating | — | coming soon |
| 2 | Conventional Hydroelectric | HY | 19.8 | 19.7 | Mar 1921 | 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% | 40 MW |
Nearby plants
Within 80 km.
| Isabella Hydro Project | 12 MW | 20 km |
| Kern River 1 | 26 MW | 46.9 km |
| Tule River | 8 MW | 49.4 km |
| Kern Canyon | 12 MW | 49.5 km |
| Lower Tule River | 3 MW | 51 km |
| Rio Bravo Hydro Project | 14 MW | 52 km |