French Meadows
Placer County, California · EIA plant ID 424 · Operator: Placer County Water Agency
Nameplate15MWSummer 16 MW
Generators1in service
Net generation43GWh12 mo to Dec 2025
Capacity factor30%hydro units, summer MW
Heat rate—thermal plants only
First online1966
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 | 29.9 | 20.0% | — |
| 2002 | 45.4 | 30.5% | — |
| 2003 | 67 | 45.0% | — |
| 2004 | 47 | 31.5% | — |
| 2005 | 69.8 | 46.8% | — |
| 2006 | 97.7 | 65.6% | — |
| 2007 | 32.1 | 21.6% | — |
| 2008 | 27.7 | 18.5% | — |
| 2009 | 54.1 | 36.3% | — |
| 2010 | 57.7 | 38.8% | — |
| 2011 | 93.3 | 62.6% | — |
| 2012 | 46.9 | 31.4% | — |
| 2013 | 26.9 | 18.0% | — |
| 2014 | 21.3 | 14.3% | — |
| 2015 | 9.2 | 6.2% | — |
| 2016 | 54.5 | 38.8% | — |
| 2017 | 106.2 | 75.8% | — |
| 2018 | 38.1 | 27.2% | — |
| 2019 | 84.6 | 60.4% | — |
| 2020 | 29 | 20.7% | — |
| 2021 | 9.2 | 6.6% | — |
| 2022 | 0.6 | 0.4% | — |
| 2023 | 67.4 | 48.1% | — |
| 2024 | 50.8 | 36.2% | — |
| 2025 | 42.6 | 30.4% | — |
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 | 15.3 | 16 | Oct 1966 | Operating | — | coming soon |
Owner / operator
Operator: Placer County Water Agency. Ownership shares by in-service nameplate MW (EIA-860 Schedule 4; units not listed there are wholly owned by the operator).
| Placer County Water Agency | 100.0% | 15 MW |
Nearby plants
Within 80 km.
| Loon Lake | 74 MW | 12.7 km |
| Middle Fork | 122 MW | 17.5 km |
| Robbs Peak | 26 MW | 20.3 km |
| Union Valley | 39 MW | 24 km |
| Jones Fork | 10 MW | 25.4 km |
| Ralston | 79 MW | 28.8 km |