Aera San Ardo Cogen Facility
Monterey County, California · EIA plant ID 55184 · Operator: Aera Energy LLC-San Ardo
×3 MW natural gas retired since 2020 (latest Jan 2025)
Nameplate3MWSummer 3 MW
Generators1in service
Net generation20GWh12 mo to Dec 2025
Capacity factor80%gas/coal/oil units, summer MW
Heat rate5,223Btu/kWhfossil units, electric fuel, HHV
First online1989Runs as baseload
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), gas/coal/oil 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.
Annual data table
| Year | Net GWh | Capacity factor | Heat rate (Btu/kWh) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 49 | 99.9% | 7,178 |
| 2002 | 52 | 106.0% | 7,750 |
| 2003 | 50.1 | 102.2% | 5,915 |
| 2004 | 51 | 103.6% | 4,651 |
| 2005 | 49.5 | 100.8% | 4,651 |
| 2006 | 47.8 | 97.5% | 4,651 |
| 2007 | 46.8 | 95.5% | 4,818 |
| 2008 | 45.5 | 92.5% | 4,836 |
| 2009 | 40.2 | 81.9% | 4,837 |
| 2010 | 46 | 93.7% | 4,783 |
| 2011 | 48.6 | 99.2% | 4,833 |
| 2012 | 44.3 | 90.1% | 4,839 |
| 2013 | 49.1 | 100.0% | 4,829 |
| 2014 | 50.1 | 102.1% | 4,823 |
| 2015 | 41.3 | 84.1% | 4,832 |
| 2016 | 48.9 | 99.4% | 5,393 |
| 2017 | 47.6 | 96.9% | 5,402 |
| 2018 | 49 | 100.0% | 5,392 |
| 2019 | 47.9 | 97.7% | 5,114 |
| 2020 | 26.1 | 53.0% | 5,656 |
| 2021 | 7.1 | 14.4% | 5,463 |
| 2022 | 22.3 | 45.4% | 5,411 |
| 2023 | 23.6 | 48.2% | 5,404 |
| 2024 | 17.2 | 35.0% | 5,434 |
| 2025 | 19.6 | 79.7% | 5,223 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UN-B | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | GT | 3.2 | 2.8 | Jul 1989 | Operating | — | coming soon |
| UN-A | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | GT | 3 | 2.8 | Jul 1989 | Retired Jan 2025 | — | coming soon |
Owner / operator
Operator: Aera Energy LLC-San Ardo. Ownership shares by in-service nameplate MW (EIA-860 Schedule 4; units not listed there are wholly owned by the operator).
| Aera Energy LLC-San Ardo | 100.0% | 3 MW |
Nearby plants
Within 80 km.
| Salinas River Cogeneration | 39 MW | 0.7 km |
| Sargent Canyon Cogeneration | 38 MW | 2.6 km |
| Nacimiento Hydro Project | 4 MW | 17.3 km |
| Sutter Home Winery TCC | 1 MW | 28.9 km |
| Blackjack Solar | 4 MW | 29.5 km |
| Paso Robles - Municipal Airport | 3 MW | 36.5 km |