Aera San Ardo Cogen Facility
Natural gas power plant · Monterey County, California
Details
- Primary fuel
- Natural gas
- Technology
- Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine
- Operator
- Aera Energy LLC-San Ardo
- County
- Monterey County
- Generating units
- 1
- Share of state capacity
- 0.00%
- Rank among natural gas plants in California
- #238 of 309
- EIA plant code
- 55184
Generating units
| Unit | Technology | Nameplate | Summer | Online | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UN-B | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | 3.2 MW | 2.8 MW | 1989 | Operating |
Nameplate is the maximum rated output; summer capacity is what the unit can reliably deliver on a hot day, which is typically lower.
Similarly sized plants in California
| Whitethorn Solar LLC | Solar | 3.3 MW |
| 8500 Balboa PV, LLC | Solar | 3.2 MW |
| Bear Creek (CA) | Hydro | 3.2 MW |
| Big Pine Creek | Hydro | 3.2 MW |
About this data
From EIA’s inventory of operable generators, May 2026 release. Capacity is nameplate — the maximum rated output of the equipment, not what the plant actually generates over a year, which depends on how often it runs. A 3.2 MW solar plant and a 3.2 MW nuclear plant have the same entry here and produce very different amounts of electricity.
“In service since” is the earliest in-service date among the units still listed, so a site rebuilt around newer equipment can read as younger than the site itself. All California power plants · What California actually generates