Ralston
Placer County, California · EIA plant ID 427 · Operator: Placer County Water Agency
Nameplate79MWSummer 86 MW
Generators1in service
Net generation303GWh12 mo to Dec 2025
Capacity factor40%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 | 231 | 30.6% | — |
| 2002 | 257.8 | 34.1% | — |
| 2003 | 395.8 | 52.4% | — |
| 2004 | 363.2 | 47.9% | — |
| 2005 | 543.4 | 71.9% | — |
| 2006 | 555.7 | 73.5% | — |
| 2007 | 194.7 | 25.8% | — |
| 2008 | 206 | 27.2% | — |
| 2009 | 368.9 | 48.8% | — |
| 2010 | 362.7 | 48.0% | — |
| 2011 | 479.9 | 63.5% | — |
| 2012 | 333.5 | 44.0% | — |
| 2013 | 218.4 | 28.9% | — |
| 2014 | 200.5 | 26.5% | — |
| 2015 | 123.6 | 16.4% | — |
| 2016 | 401 | 53.1% | — |
| 2017 | 439.1 | 58.3% | — |
| 2018 | 324.7 | 43.1% | — |
| 2019 | 538.8 | 71.5% | — |
| 2020 | 199.3 | 26.4% | — |
| 2021 | 118 | 15.7% | — |
| 2022 | 7.4 | 1.0% | — |
| 2023 | 459.9 | 61.1% | — |
| 2024 | 328.1 | 43.4% | — |
| 2025 | 302.6 | 40.2% | — |
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 | 79.2 | 86 | 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% | 79 MW |
Nearby plants
Within 80 km.
| Oxbow (CA) | 6 MW | 1.9 km |
| Middle Fork | 122 MW | 11.4 km |
| Chicago Park | 44 MW | 24.3 km |
| Rock Creek LP | 3 MW | 24.6 km |
| Rollins | 12 MW | 24.7 km |
| El Dorado | 20 MW | 24.8 km |