How big is Big Creek 3?

Big Creek 3 has a reported capacity of 174.5 MW. Source: EIA Form 860.

What kind of plant is Big Creek 3?

Big Creek 3 is a Conventional Hydroelectric facility in Fresno County, CA, participating in the CAISO market.

Where is Big Creek 3 located?

Big Creek 3 is in Fresno County, CA, inside the CAISO balancing area.

Who operates Big Creek 3?

Big Creek 3 is operated by Southern California Edison Co according to the EIA generator inventory. Reporting membership does not by itself establish ultimate ownership.

When did Big Creek 3 start operating?

Big Creek 3 reports a commercial operation date of 1923. Current status: operating. Source: EIA Form 860.

How much electricity does Big Creek 3 generate?

Big Creek 3 reported 747.9 GWh over the twelve months to 2026-06. Figures are net generation as filed to EIA-923.

Where does Big Creek 3 connect to the grid?

Big Creek 3 on the Southern California Edison Company system.

How does Big Creek 3 compare to other plants?

By capacity, Big Creek 3 ranks #83 of 1,349 operating plants of the same technology nationally. It ranks #12 of 210 in CA.

Big Creek 3 — 175 MW hydro plant, Fresno County, CA

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Big Creek 3 — 175 MW hydro plant, Fresno County, CA · Ask the Grid

Overview

Reported capacity: 174.5 MW
EIA-reported nameplate capacity; other nameplate and seasonal ratings may differ.
Technology: Conventional Hydroelectric
Primary generation technology.
Registry anchor: Plant 319
Southern California Edison Co · Fresno County · CAISO
Operating status: Operating
Big Creek 3 is operating.
Commercial operation: 1923
Best-supported operating milestone.

Profile

Grid role: Baseload during the runoff season and peaking during the remainder of the year.
Context: Constructed in 1923, Big Creek Powerhouse No. 3 was the largest hydroelectric generating plant in the western United States at the time. It was later expanded to five generating units and remains part of Southern California Edison’s Big Creek Hydroelectric System.

Structured profile

Reported capacity: 174.5 MW
Conventional Hydroelectric
Commercial operation: 1923
Operating status: operating
Big Creek 3 is operating.
Location: Fresno County
CAISO
Operator: Southern California Edison Co

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Units and generators

Operating generator records and technology attributes reported through EIA-860.

Generator	Capacity	Technology	Operation	Status
1	34 MW 34 MW summer	Conventional Hydroelectric Water · HY	Oct 2023	Operating
2	34 MW 34 MW summer	Conventional Hydroelectric Water · HY	Sep 2023	Operating
3	34 MW 33 MW summer	Conventional Hydroelectric Water · HY	Oct 2023	Operating
4	36 MW 36 MW summer	Conventional Hydroelectric Water · HY	—	Operating
5	36.5 MW 36.5 MW summer

Performance

Monthly EIA generation history and recent market-resource behavior where linked telemetry is available.

Peer context

Technology capacity: 174.5 MW; Conventional Hydroelectric
National rank: #83; of 1,349 operating peers
CA rank: #12; of 210 operating peers

Monthly generation

Download CSV

Latest 12 months

747.9 GWh

Reported net generation

Latest report

Jun 2026

EIA-923 monthly filing

2025 capacity factor

44.1%

Using current reported nameplate capacity

Grid and market context

Deterministic links to ERCOT market resources, price records, outage disclosures, queue records, and nearby infrastructure. Candidate joins remain labeled until corroborated.

Nearby substations

HIFLD infrastructure inventory

BIG CREEK 3

IN SERVICE · 230 kV

0.2 km

BIG CREEK 8

Commercial, land, and environmental record

Source-backed project transactions, agreements, land records, permits, and environmental disclosures. Portfolio and adjacent-project facts remain explicitly scoped.

Land and environmental record

Environmental Permit

May 31, 2019

Final Section 401 Water Quality Certification for the Six Big Creek Hydroelectric Projects

California State Water Resources Control Board issued final water quality certification for joint certification covering FERC Project No. 120 on May 31, 2019.

Big Creek Hydroelectric System | California State Water Resources Control Board

Federal Project Land

Mar 13, 2009

508.14 acres of federal land

FERC final environmental impact statement identifies Big Creek No. 3 as occupying 508.14 acres of federal land administered by the Sierra National Forest.

Source

Land Occupancy

Approximately 508 acres of national forest land

State Water Board records state that the project occupies approximately 508 acres of national forest land administered by the United States Forest Service.

Big Creek Hydroelectric System | California State Water Resources Control Board

Owner Application Land Schedule

Feb 2007

377.16 acres of federal land listed in SCE's application

SCE's Table A-1 lists total federal land acreage of 377.16 acres within Big Creek No. 3 project boundaries under U.S. Forest Service, Sierra National Forest jurisdiction, after proposed removal of 44.17 acres above Dam 6 forebay high-water line.

Section 4.32 General Information

Water Source And Discharge

Upper San Joaquin River water system

Project is located on the Upper San Joaquin River. Powerhouse No. 3 receives water from Dam 6 impoundment and discharges into Redinger Reservoir, associated with downstream Big Creek No. 4 project.

Big Creek Hydroelectric System | California State Water Resources Control Board

Related parties and identifiers

Parties, market resources, and identifiers tied to this asset, with owner, operator, developer, EPC, compliance provider, and interconnecting entity roles kept separate.

Relationship graph

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AssetOwner / operatorRelated asset

Parties and identifiers

OrganizationRoleBasis

Timeline and sources

Project milestones and public references behind the asset profile.

Project timeline

1923
1923
Powerhouse construction and initial commercial operationSource
Big Creek Powerhouse No. 3 was constructed and its first three generating units were placed on SCE’s lines during 1923. The historical record identifies the powerhouse as the largest hydroelectric generating plant in the western United States at that time.
Feb 1980
Feb 1980

Reporting portfolio

EIA reporting entity

Southern California Edison Co

Entity 17609

Operating portfolio

34 plants

1 states

Reported capacity

2,702.4 MW

Batteries · Conventional Hydroelectric · Hydroelectric Pumped Storage

Largest reported plants in this portfolio
Largest reported plants	Capacity	State
Mountainview Generating Station	1,036.8 MW	CA
Cathode (Hinson) BESS	200 MW	CA
J S Eastwood	199.8 MW	CA
Mammoth Pool	190 MW	CA
Big Creek 3Current	174.5 MW	CA
Separator (Etiwanda) BESS	112.5 MW	CA
Big Creek 4	100 MW	CA
Big Creek 1	88.4 MW	CA

Portfolio membership follows the latest EIA-860 reporting entity. It does not imply ultimate ownership.

View full reporting portfolio

Big Creek 3

Big Creek 3

Overview

Profile

Structured profile

Related assets

Mammoth Pool

Pine Flat

Units and generators

Performance

Peer context

Monthly generation

Grid and market context

Nearby substations

Commercial, land, and environmental record

Land and environmental record

Related parties and identifiers

Relationship graph

Parties and identifiers

Timeline and sources

Project timeline

Kerckhoff 2

Dion R Holm

Haas

J S Eastwood

Reporting portfolio

Sources

Common questions about Big Creek 3

How big is Big Creek 3?

What kind of plant is Big Creek 3?

Where is Big Creek 3 located?

Who operates Big Creek 3?

When did Big Creek 3 start operating?

How much electricity does Big Creek 3 generate?

Where does Big Creek 3 connect to the grid?

How does Big Creek 3 compare to other plants?

Co-located assets