Merced Falls
Hydro power plant · Merced County, California
Nameplate capacity
3.4 MW
Rank in California
#1157
of 1,897 plants
In service since
1930
July 1930
Details
- Primary fuel
- Hydro
- Technology
- Conventional Hydroelectric
- Operator
- Merced Irrigation District
- County
- Merced County
- Generating units
- 1
- Share of state capacity
- 0.00%
- Rank among hydro plants in California
- #182 of 244
- EIA plant code
- 258
Generating units
| Unit | Technology | Nameplate | Summer | Online | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 3.4 MW | 3.5 MW | 1930 | 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
| Yorktown Battery Energy Storage Facility | Battery storage | 3.5 MW |
| EMWD - Perris Valley RWRF | Solar | 3.4 MW |
| Thermalito Diverson Dam | Hydro | 3.4 MW |
| CA-DGS RFP-Salinas Valley State Prison | Solar | 3.3 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 3.4 MW solar plant and a 3.4 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