Chili Bar
Hydro power plant · El Dorado County, California
Nameplate capacity
8.3 MW
Rank in California
#887
of 1,897 plants
In service since
1965
March 1965
Details
- Primary fuel
- Hydro
- Technology
- Conventional Hydroelectric
- Operator
- Sacramento Municipal Util Dist
- County
- El Dorado County
- Generating units
- 1
- Share of state capacity
- 0.01%
- Rank among hydro plants in California
- #135 of 244
- EIA plant code
- 225
Generating units
| Unit | Technology | Nameplate | Summer | Online | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 8.3 MW | 7.0 MW | 1965 | 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
| Sierra Pacific Industries (2042-RD) | Solar | 8.4 MW |
| Tule River | Hydro | 8.4 MW |
| Bishop Creek 4 | Hydro | 8.2 MW |
| C&H Sugar Plant | Other | 8.0 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 8.3 MW solar plant and a 8.3 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