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Conventional HydroelectricCAISO · Shasta County

James B Black

Pacific Gas & Electric Company · Shasta County · CAISO

James B Black is a hydroelectric facility with 168.6 MW of EIA-reported nameplate capacity in Shasta County, California, registered as EIA Plant ID 249. Pacific Gas & Electric Co. owns and operates the plant. Black is the largest powerhouse in the 368-MW McCloud-Pit Hydroelectric Project by regulatory maximum capacity, at 172 MW.

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Overview

Key fields

Reported capacity: 168.6 MW
EIA-reported nameplate capacity; other nameplate and seasonal ratings may differ.
Technology: Conventional Hydroelectric
Primary generation technology.
Registry anchor: Plant 249
Pacific Gas & Electric Co. · Shasta County · CAISO
Operating status: Operating

Asset analyst

plant:plant-249

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Investigate technology, capacity, output, price behavior, ownership, and related facilities using this profile plus current grid data.

Units and generators

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

Generator	Capacity	Technology	Operation	Status
1	85.1 MW 86 MW summer	Conventional Hydroelectric Water · HY	Feb 1966	Operating
2	83.5 MW 86 MW summer	Conventional Hydroelectric Water · HY	Dec 1965	Operating

Commercial, land, and environmental record

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

Transactions and agreements

Offtake Framework

Dec 17, 2020

PG&E extended its Appendix P Carbon Free Energy sales framework for delivery years 2021–2023. James B Black (EIA ID 249) was expressly listed in PG&E's large-hydroelectric resource pool. Eligible load-serving entities could accept annual allocations and execute confirmations under an EEI Master Purchase and Sale Agreement. Records do not disclose allocated capacity, transaction amount, or individual executed PPAs; the framework applies to a pooled set of hydro resources.

3 yearsPacific Gas and Electric Company · Eligible Load Serving Entities

Pacific Gas & Electric Company ELC (Corp ID 39) Status of Advice Letter 5930E Disposition: Signed Effective Date: 12-17-2020

Land and environmental record

Environmental Compliance Condition

Jun 17, 2026

Erosion and sediment inventory, treatment, monitoring, and Water Quality Monitoring and Protection Plans

State Water Board certification conditions require PG&E to inventory, record, treat, monitor, and report project-related erosion and sedimentation. Activities not covered by the Construction General Permit require site-specific, approved Water Quality Monitoring and Protection Plans. Scope: McCloud-Pit Project.

Source

Project Water Consumption

Jun 17, 2026

Approximately 6,300 gallons (0.02 acre-feet) of consumptive use

State Water Board 2026 order references approximately 6,300 gallons of consumptive use. Extracted record does not provide sufficient surrounding context to identify the precise use or specific component responsible.

WQO 2026-0019

Stormwater Permit

NPDES No. CAS000002 / Water Quality Order No. 2009-0009-DWQ and subsequent amendments

Construction General Permit coverage is required for applicable project activities disturbing one or more acres of soil. The permit is General Permit for Stormwater Discharges Associated with Construction and Land Disturbance Activities, NPDES CAS000002, as amended. Scope: McCloud-Pit Project.

Source

Water Quality Certification

Jun 17, 2026

Order WQ 2026-0019; final Clean Water Act Section 401 water quality certification issued June 17, 2026

California State Water Resources Control Board issued the final water quality certification for the McCloud-Pit Project as part of Order WQ 2026-0019, covering James B. Black, Pit 6, and Pit 7 developments. Scope: McCloud-Pit Project.

McCloud-Pit Hydroelectric Project | California State Water Resources Control Board

Water Source And Receiving Water

McCloud River and Pit River

The McCloud-Pit Project, including James B. Black, is located on the McCloud and Pit Rivers in Shasta County. Black.

McCloud-Pit Hydroelectric Project | 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 / operatorOrganizationRelated asset

Parties and identifiers

OrganizationRoleBasis

Pacific Gas & Electric CompanyOperatorOwner / developer associated with James B Black.

plant:plant-249Grid selectionCanonical asset page /assets/facilities/james-b-black.

Reporting portfolio

EIA reporting entity

Pacific Gas & Electric Co.

Entity 14328

Operating portfolio

60 plants

1 states

Reported capacity

7,470.5 MW

Conventional Hydroelectric · Hydroelectric Pumped Storage · Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle

Largest reported plants in this portfolio
Largest reported plants	Capacity	State
Diablo Canyon	2,323 MW	CA
Helms Pumped Storage	1,053 MW	CA
Colusa Generating Station	712.4 MW	CA
Gateway Generating Station	619.7 MW	CA
James B BlackCurrent	168.6 MW	CA

Timeline and sources

Project milestones and public references behind the asset profile.

Project timeline

Aug 18, 1961
Aug 18, 1961
Original FERC license issuedMcCloud-Pit...
The original FERC license for the McCloud-Pit Project was issued on August 18, 1961.
1965
1965
James B. Black Unit 2 commissionedFederal Reg...
FERC's project description states that James B. Black Unit 2 was commissioned in 1965.
Dec 1965
Dec 1965
Generator enters operationEIA-860
EIA-860 lists generator 2 with this operating date.
View 1 more milestoneHide 1 milestone
1. 1966
  1966
  James B. Black Unit 1 commissionedFederal Reg...
  FERC's project description states that James B. Black Unit 1 was commissioned in 1966.
Feb 1966
Feb 1966
Generator enters operationEIA-860
EIA-860 lists generator 1 with this operating date.
Jul 31, 2011
Jul 31, 2011
Original FERC license expiredMcCloud-Pit...
The original FERC license expired on July 31, 2011; the project subsequently remained subject to the relicensing process.
Jun 17, 2026
Jun 17, 2026
California water-quality certification issuedSource
The California State Water Resources Control Board issued water-quality certification for the McCloud-Pit Project as part of Order WQ 2026-0019.

Sources

PublisherReferenceType

U.S. Energy Information AdministrationEIA-860 generator inventoryFederal registry

U.S. Energy Information AdministrationEIA-923 generation filingsFederal filing

myportal.pge.comRetireeNews Nov2012other

Common questions about James B Black

Answered from the published record above. Questions whose inputs this profile does not carry are omitted rather than estimated.

How big is James B Black?

James B Black has a reported capacity of 168.6 MW. Source: EIA Form 860.

What kind of plant is James B Black?

James B Black is a Conventional Hydroelectric facility in Shasta County, CA, participating in the CAISO market.

Where is James B Black located?

James B Black is in Shasta County, CA, inside the CAISO balancing area.

Who operates James B Black?

James B Black is operated by Pacific Gas & Electric Co. according to the EIA generator inventory. Reporting membership does not by itself establish ultimate ownership.

How much electricity does James B Black generate?

James B Black reported 543.1 GWh over the twelve months to 2026-04. Figures are net generation as filed to EIA-923.

Where does James B Black connect to the grid?

James B Black interconnects at James B. Black Switchyard, on the Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) system.

How does James B Black compare to other plants?

By capacity, James B Black ranks #88 of 1,349 operating plants of the same technology nationally. It ranks #14 of 210 in CA.

Co-located assets

Plants within 25 km, nearest first, regardless of technology. Proximity is straight-line distance between mapped plant coordinates; it does not by itself establish a shared point of interconnection.

Pit 5Conventional HydroelectricConventional Hydroelectric · same type142 MW708 m Pit 6Conventional HydroelectricConventional Hydroelectric · same type79 MW7.9 km Nelson CreekConventional HydroelectricConventional Hydroelectric · same type1 MW8.1 km Pit 4Conventional Hydroelectric

Related assets

Similar plants ranked by technology, capacity, and distance.

Pit 5

Hydroelectric · 141.6 MW

Shasta County

Same typeComparable scale0 mi away

Compare with this plant

Pit 7

Hydroelectric · 109.8 MW

Shasta County

Same type10 mi away

Compare with this plant

Overview

Key fields

Ask about James B Black

Overview

Key fields

Ask about James B Black

Profile

Structured profile

Units and generators

Performance

Peer context

Monthly generation

Grid and market context

Nearby substations

Commercial, land, and environmental record

Transactions and agreements

Land and environmental record

Related parties and identifiers

Relationship graph

Parties and identifiers

Reporting portfolio

Timeline and sources

Project timeline

Sources

Common questions about James B Black

How big is James B Black?

What kind of plant is James B Black?

Where is James B Black located?

Who operates James B Black?

How much electricity does James B Black generate?

Where does James B Black connect to the grid?

How does James B Black compare to other plants?

Co-located assets

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Pit 5

Pit 7

Pit 4

Poe

Rock Creek

Pit 6