Friant Hydro Facility
Hydro power plant · Fresno County, California
Nameplate capacity
38 MW
Rank in California
#527
of 1,897 plants
In service since
1985
April 1985
Details
- Primary fuel
- Hydro
- Technology
- Conventional Hydroelectric
- Operator
- Friant Power Authority
- County
- Fresno County
- Generating units
- 4
- Share of state capacity
- 0.03%
- Rank among hydro plants in California
- #73 of 244
- EIA plant code
- 50393
Generating units
| Unit | Technology | Nameplate | Summer | Online | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FR1 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 18 MW | 20 MW | 1986 | Operating |
| M1 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 9.8 MW | 9.8 MW | 1985 | Operating |
| RO2 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 6.9 MW | 7.3 MW | 2017 | Operating |
| RO1 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 2.4 MW | 2.3 MW | 1985 | 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
| Beacon Solar Plant Site 5 | Solar | 38 MW |
| Control Gorge | Hydro | 38 MW |
| Middle Gorge | Hydro | 38 MW |
| Upper Gorge | Hydro | 38 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 38 MW solar plant and a 38 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