Thermalito
Butte County, California · EIA plant ID 438 · Operator: California Dept. of Water Resources
Nameplate115MWSummer 115 MW
Generators4in service
Net generation318GWh12 mo to Aug 2026
Capacity factor43%hydro units, summer MW
Heat rate—thermal plants only
First online1968
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 | 124.4 | 50.7% | — |
| 2002 | 172.3 | 70.9% | — |
| 2003 | 226.7 | 92.4% | — |
| 2004 | 389.1 | 158.2% | — |
| 2005 | 247 | 100.8% | — |
| 2006 | 362.4 | 147.8% | — |
| 2007 | 249.9 | 102.5% | — |
| 2008 | 153.4 | 62.4% | — |
| 2009 | 174.3 | 71.0% | — |
| 2010 | 175.5 | 71.5% | — |
| 2011 | 255.4 | 104.1% | — |
| 2012 | 187.8 | 76.4% | — |
| 2013 | 0 | 0.0% | — |
| 2014 | 0 | 0.0% | — |
| 2020 | 48.1 | 16.8% | — |
| 2021 | 80.8 | 28.3% | — |
| 2022 | 156.1 | 54.6% | — |
| 2023 | 294.3 | 31.2% | — |
| 2024 | 338.3 | 38.9% | — |
| 2025 | 322.3 | 28.9% | — |
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 | 32.6 | 32.6 | Nov 1968 | Operating | — | coming soon |
| 2 | Hydroelectric Pumped Storage | PS | 27.5 | 27.5 | Jul 1968 | Operating | — | coming soon |
| 3 | Hydroelectric Pumped Storage | PS | 27.5 | 27.5 | Jul 1968 | Operating | — | coming soon |
| 4 | Hydroelectric Pumped Storage | PS | 27.5 | 27.5 | Feb 1968 | Operating | — | coming soon |
Owner / operator
Operator: California Dept. of Water Resources. Ownership shares by in-service nameplate MW (EIA-860 Schedule 4; units not listed there are wholly owned by the operator).
| California Dept. of Water Resources | 100.0% | 115 MW |
Nearby plants
Within 80 km.
| Oroville Cogeneration LP | 8 MW | 6.3 km |
| Thermalito Diverson Dam | 3 MW | 7.3 km |
| Kelly Ridge | 10 MW | 12.1 km |
| Edward C Hyatt | 644 MW | 12.2 km |
| Butte College Main Campus Solar | 4 MW | 14.9 km |
| Gridley Main Two | 3 MW | 16.4 km |