Chowchilla II
Natural gas power plant · Madera County, California
Nameplate capacity
50 MW
Rank in California
#442
of 1,897 plants
In service since
2001
June 2001
Details
- Primary fuel
- Natural gas
- Technology
- Natural Gas Internal Combustion Engine
- Operator
- California Power Holdings LLC
- County
- Madera County
- Generating units
- 16
- Share of state capacity
- 0.05%
- Rank among natural gas plants in California
- #121 of 309
- EIA plant code
- 56185
Generating units
| Unit | Technology | Nameplate | Summer | Online | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IC1 | Natural Gas Internal Combustion Engine | 3.1 MW | 3.1 MW | 2001 | Operating |
| IC10 | Natural Gas Internal Combustion Engine | 3.1 MW | 3.1 MW | 2001 | Operating |
| IC11 | Natural Gas Internal Combustion Engine | 3.1 MW | 3.1 MW | 2001 | Operating |
| IC12 | Natural Gas Internal Combustion Engine | 3.1 MW | 3.1 MW | 2001 | Operating |
| IC13 | Natural Gas Internal Combustion Engine | 3.1 MW | 3.1 MW | 2001 | Operating |
| IC14 | Natural Gas Internal Combustion Engine | 3.1 MW | 3.1 MW | 2001 | Operating |
| IC15 | Natural Gas Internal Combustion Engine | 3.1 MW | 3.1 MW | 2001 | Operating |
| IC16 | Natural Gas Internal Combustion Engine | 3.1 MW | 3.1 MW | 2001 | Operating |
| IC2 | Natural Gas Internal Combustion Engine | 3.1 MW | 3.1 MW | 2001 | Operating |
| IC3 | Natural Gas Internal Combustion Engine | 3.1 MW | 3.1 MW | 2001 | Operating |
| IC4 | Natural Gas Internal Combustion Engine | 3.1 MW | 3.1 MW | 2001 | Operating |
| IC5 | Natural Gas Internal Combustion Engine | 3.1 MW | 3.1 MW | 2001 | Operating |
| IC6 | Natural Gas Internal Combustion Engine | 3.1 MW | 3.1 MW | 2001 | Operating |
| IC7 | Natural Gas Internal Combustion Engine | 3.1 MW | 3.1 MW | 2001 | Operating |
| IC8 | Natural Gas Internal Combustion Engine | 3.1 MW | 3.1 MW | 2001 | Operating |
| IC9 | Natural Gas Internal Combustion Engine | 3.1 MW | 3.1 MW | 2001 | 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
| Rockwood | Natural gas | 50 MW |
| Walnut | Natural gas | 50 MW |
| AltaGas Ripon Energy Inc. | Natural gas | 50 MW |
| Greenleaf 2 Power Plant | Natural gas | 50 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 50 MW solar plant and a 50 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