Elephant Butte
Hydro power plant · Sierra County, New Mexico
Nameplate capacity
28 MW
Rank in New Mexico
#72
of 169 plants
In service since
1940
November 1940
Details
- Primary fuel
- Hydro
- Technology
- Conventional Hydroelectric
- Operator
- U S Bureau of Reclamation
- County
- Sierra County
- Generating units
- 3
- Share of state capacity
- 0.16%
- Rank among hydro plants in New Mexico
- #2 of 4
- EIA plant code
- 6402
Generating units
| Unit | Technology | Nameplate | Summer | Online | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 9.3 MW | 9.3 MW | 1940 | Operating |
| 2 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 9.3 MW | 9.3 MW | 1940 | Operating |
| 3 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 9.3 MW | 9.3 MW | 1940 | 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 New Mexico
| Sterling I Wind Farm | Wind | 30 MW |
| Alta Luna | Solar | 28 MW |
| Taos Mesa Energy Facility Hybrid | Solar | 28 MW |
| Wildcat Wind | Wind | 27 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 28 MW solar plant and a 28 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 New Mexico power plants · What New Mexico actually generates