Manitou Springs
Hydro power plant · El Paso County, Colorado
Nameplate capacity
5.6 MW
Rank in Colorado
#140
of 326 plants
In service since
1927
May 1927
Details
- Primary fuel
- Hydro
- Technology
- Conventional Hydroelectric
- Operator
- City of Colorado Springs - (CO)
- County
- El Paso County
- Generating units
- 3
- Share of state capacity
- 0.02%
- Rank among hydro plants in Colorado
- #20 of 49
- EIA plant code
- 494
Generating units
| Unit | Technology | Nameplate | Summer | Online | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 2.5 MW | 2.5 MW | 1939 | Operating |
| 2 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 2.5 MW | 2.5 MW | 1927 | Operating |
| 3 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 0.6 MW | 0.5 MW | 2006 | 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 Colorado
| Las Animas | Other | 5.6 MW |
| Lower Molina | Hydro | 5.6 MW |
| AFA Solar Farm | Solar | 5.5 MW |
| North Fork Hydro Plant | Hydro | 5.5 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 5.6 MW solar plant and a 5.6 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 Colorado power plants · What Colorado actually generates