Big Creek 3
Hydro power plant · Fresno County, California
Nameplate capacity
175 MW
Rank in California
#151
of 1,897 plants
In service since
1948
April 1948
Details
- Primary fuel
- Hydro
- Technology
- Conventional Hydroelectric
- Operator
- Southern California Edison Co
- County
- Fresno County
- Generating units
- 5
- Share of state capacity
- 0.16%
- Rank among hydro plants in California
- #16 of 244
- EIA plant code
- 319
Generating units
| Unit | Technology | Nameplate | Summer | Online | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 37 MW | 37 MW | 1980 | Operating |
| 4 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 36 MW | 36 MW | 1948 | Operating |
| 1 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 34 MW | 34 MW | 2023 | Operating |
| 2 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 34 MW | 34 MW | 2023 | Operating |
| 3 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 34 MW | 33 MW | 2023 | 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
| RE Mustang LLC | Solar | 175 MW |
| Centinela Solar Energy | Solar | 175 MW |
| Campbell Power Plant | Natural gas | 174 MW |
| Richmond Cogen | Natural gas | 174 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 175 MW solar plant and a 175 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