Black Butte
Tehama County, California · EIA plant ID 7229 · Operator: City of Santa Clara - (CA)
Nameplate6MWSummer 6 MW
Generators1in service
Net generation9GWh12 mo to Dec 2025
Capacity factor17%hydro units, summer MW
Heat rate—thermal plants only
First online1988
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 | 11.5 | 21.5% | — |
| 2002 | 20 | 37.4% | — |
| 2003 | 14.9 | 27.9% | — |
| 2004 | 13.5 | 25.1% | — |
| 2005 | 23.7 | 44.4% | — |
| 2006 | 22.1 | 41.3% | — |
| 2007 | 8 | 14.9% | — |
| 2008 | 12.5 | 23.4% | — |
| 2009 | 5.5 | 10.2% | — |
| 2010 | 18.7 | 34.9% | — |
| 2011 | 13.8 | 25.8% | — |
| 2012 | 10.1 | 18.8% | — |
| 2013 | 7.5 | 14.1% | — |
| 2014 | 4.8 | 9.1% | — |
| 2015 | 5.1 | 9.6% | — |
| 2016 | 9.5 | 17.7% | — |
| 2017 | 17.8 | 33.3% | — |
| 2018 | 4.3 | 8.1% | — |
| 2019 | 18.1 | 33.8% | — |
| 2020 | 4.5 | 8.4% | — |
| 2021 | 1.9 | 3.6% | — |
| 2022 | 5 | 9.4% | — |
| 2023 | 20.2 | 37.8% | — |
| 2024 | 14.9 | 27.9% | — |
| 2025 | 9 | 16.8% | — |
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 | 6.1 | 6.1 | Sep 1988 | Operating | — | coming soon |
Owner / operator
Operator: City of Santa Clara - (CA). Ownership shares by in-service nameplate MW (EIA-860 Schedule 4; units not listed there are wholly owned by the operator).
| City of Santa Clara - (CA) | 100.0% | 6 MW |
Nearby plants
Within 80 km.
| Enerparc CA2, LLC | 2 MW | 18.6 km |
| Stony Gorge | 5 MW | 30.6 km |
| Foundation Wal-Mart Red Bluff | 1 MW | 35 km |
| Sierra Pacific Industries (2042-RD) | 8 MW | 36.1 km |
| Red Bluff | 46 MW | 38.6 km |
| Enloe Medical - Chico | 2 MW | 42 km |