Vallecito Hydroelectric
Hydro power plant · La Plata County, Colorado
Nameplate capacity
5.8 MW
Rank in Colorado
#137
of 326 plants
In service since
1989
May 1989
Details
- Primary fuel
- Hydro
- Technology
- Conventional Hydroelectric
- Operator
- Ptarmigan Res & Engy Inc
- County
- La Plata County
- Generating units
- 3
- Share of state capacity
- 0.03%
- Rank among hydro plants in Colorado
- #18 of 49
- EIA plant code
- 50206
Generating units
| Unit | Technology | Nameplate | Summer | Online | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GEN2 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 2.5 MW | 2.5 MW | 1989 | Operating |
| GEN3 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 2.5 MW | 2.5 MW | 1989 | Operating |
| GEN1 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 0.8 MW | 0.8 MW | 1989 | 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
| Williams Ignacio Natural Gas Plant | Other | 6.1 MW |
| SR Rattlesnake | Solar | 6.0 MW |
| Las Animas | Other | 5.6 MW |
| Lower Molina | Hydro | 5.6 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 5.8 MW solar plant and a 5.8 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