Big Thompson
Larimer County, Colorado · EIA plant ID 515 · Operator: U S Bureau of Reclamation
Nameplate5MWSummer 5 MW
Generators1in service
Net generation3GWh12 mo to Dec 2025
Capacity factor7%hydro units, summer MW
Heat rate—thermal plants only
First online1959
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 | 7.7 | 16.8% | — |
| 2002 | 3.5 | 7.8% | — |
| 2003 | 9.9 | 21.8% | — |
| 2004 | 10.5 | 23.0% | — |
| 2005 | 8.6 | 19.0% | — |
| 2006 | 8.6 | 18.8% | — |
| 2007 | 2.5 | 5.5% | — |
| 2008 | 10 | 22.0% | — |
| 2009 | 9.7 | 21.3% | — |
| 2010 | 9.1 | 20.0% | — |
| 2011 | 11.5 | 25.1% | — |
| 2012 | 4.8 | 10.5% | — |
| 2013 | 7.2 | 15.9% | — |
| 2014 | 2 | 4.4% | — |
| 2015 | 4.1 | 9.0% | — |
| 2016 | 5.7 | 12.5% | — |
| 2017 | 7.6 | 16.7% | — |
| 2018 | 1.3 | 2.8% | — |
| 2019 | 8.2 | 18.1% | — |
| 2020 | 4.9 | 10.8% | — |
| 2021 | 5 | 10.9% | — |
| 2022 | 5.3 | 11.7% | — |
| 2023 | 4.2 | 9.3% | — |
| 2024 | 4 | 8.7% | — |
| 2025 | 3.3 | 7.1% | — |
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 | 4.5 | 5.2 | Apr 1959 | Operating | — | coming soon |
Owner / operator
Operator: U S Bureau of Reclamation. Ownership shares by in-service nameplate MW (EIA-860 Schedule 4; units not listed there are wholly owned by the operator).
| U S Bureau of Reclamation | 100.0% | 5 MW |
Nearby plants
Within 80 km.
| Flatiron | 95 MW | 6.3 km |
| Pole Hill | 38 MW | 10.6 km |
| Carter Hydro | 3 MW | 10.8 km |
| Coyote Ridge Community Solar | 2 MW | 11.8 km |
| RV CSU Power LLC | 2 MW | 20 km |
| RV CSU Power II LLC | 3 MW | 20.2 km |