Elephant Butte
Sierra County, New Mexico · EIA plant ID 6402 · Operator: U S Bureau of Reclamation
Nameplate28MWSummer 28 MW
Generators3in service
Net generation17GWh12 mo to Dec 2025
Capacity factor7%hydro units, summer MW
Heat rate—thermal plants only
First online1940
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 | 96.8 | 39.6% | — |
| 2002 | 77.9 | 31.9% | — |
| 2003 | 29.6 | 12.1% | — |
| 2004 | 27.6 | 11.3% | — |
| 2005 | 46 | 18.8% | — |
| 2006 | 33.9 | 13.9% | — |
| 2007 | 56 | 22.9% | — |
| 2008 | 63 | 25.7% | — |
| 2009 | 54.9 | 22.5% | — |
| 2010 | 67.5 | 27.6% | — |
| 2011 | 33.3 | 13.6% | — |
| 2012 | 28.7 | 11.7% | — |
| 2013 | 9.3 | 3.8% | — |
| 2014 | 12.8 | 5.2% | — |
| 2015 | 37.6 | 15.4% | — |
| 2016 | 43.5 | 17.8% | — |
| 2017 | 44.9 | 18.4% | — |
| 2018 | 39.5 | 16.2% | — |
| 2019 | 47.7 | 19.5% | — |
| 2020 | 53.7 | 21.9% | — |
| 2021 | 14.6 | 6.0% | — |
| 2022 | 18.3 | 7.5% | — |
| 2023 | -31.6 | -12.9% | — |
| 2024 | 56.9 | 23.2% | — |
| 2025 | 16.6 | 6.8% | — |
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 | 9.3 | 9.3 | Nov 1940 | Operating | — | coming soon |
| 2 | Conventional Hydroelectric | HY | 9.3 | 9.3 | Nov 1940 | Operating | — | coming soon |
| 3 | Conventional Hydroelectric | HY | 9.3 | 9.3 | Nov 1940 | 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% | 28 MW |
Nearby plants
Within 80 km.
| Wal-Mart Truth or Consequences PV | 1 MW | 5.4 km |
| City of Truth or Consequences PV | 2 MW | 9.6 km |
| Emi NM Bent Bow | 5 MW | 46.7 km |
| Hatch Solar Energy Center I, LLC | 5 MW | 58.5 km |
| Macho Springs | 55 MW | 70.2 km |
| Alta Luna | 28 MW | 70.2 km |