# James B Black

CAISO Conventional Hydroelectric · https://askthegrid.com/assets/facilities/james-b-black

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.

## Key facts

- Technology: Conventional Hydroelectric
- Power capacity: 168.6 MW
- Operating status: operating
- Retirement: 2026

## Grid and market context

- ISO/RTO: CAISO
- Balancing authority: CISO (CAISO)
- Substation: James B. Black Switchyard
- Point of interconnection: James B. Black Switchyard
- Transmission owner: Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E)
- Interconnection voltage: 230 kV

## Source-backed facts

- Owner logo domain: pge.com — Source · confidence: medium
- Identifiers: [{"value":"249","system":"EIA plant code"},{"value":"1","system":"EIA generator ID"},{"value":"BLACK_7_UNIT 1","system":"CAISO market resource ID"},{"value":"BLACK_7_UNIT 2","system":"CAISO market resource ID"},{"value":"PGAE North","system":"CAISO area"},{"value":"2106","system":"FERC hydropower project number"},{"value":"20240606-3065","system":"FERC eLibrary accession"}] — Evaluation Report of Load Serving Entities' Compliance... · confidence: medium
- Identifiers: [{"value":"249","system":"EIA plant code"},{"value":"1","system":"EIA generator ID"},{"value":"BLACK_7_UNIT 1","system":"CAISO market resource ID"},{"value":"BLACK_7_UNIT 2","system":"CAISO market resource ID"},{"value":"PGAE North","system":"CAISO area"},{"value":"2106","system":"FERC hydropower project number"},{"value":"20240606-3065","system":"FERC eLibrary accession"}] — McCloud-Pit Hydroelectric Project | California State Water Resources Control Board · confidence: medium
- Description: James B Black is a hydroelectric generating plant in Shasta County, California, with two generating units totaling 168.6 MW of nameplate capacity. EIA plant code 249 identifies Pacific Gas & Electric Co. as the utility, and the EIA/MBR record lists generator 1 at 85.1 MW. The two units appear in CAISO records as BLACK_7_UNIT 1 and BLACK_7_UNIT 2. James B. Black is one of three powerhouses in PG&E’s 368-MW McCloud-Pit Hydroelectric Project, FERC Project No. 2106. — Evaluation Report of Load Serving Entities' Compliance... · confidence: medium
- Description: James B Black is a hydroelectric generating plant in Shasta County, California, with two generating units totaling 168.6 MW of nameplate capacity. EIA plant code 249 identifies Pacific Gas & Electric Co. as the utility, and the EIA/MBR record lists generator 1 at 85.1 MW. The two units appear in CAISO records as BLACK_7_UNIT 1 and BLACK_7_UNIT 2. James B. Black is one of three powerhouses in PG&E’s 368-MW McCloud-Pit Hydroelectric Project, FERC Project No. 2106. — McCloud-Pit Hydroelectric Project | California State Water Resources Control Board · confidence: medium
- Identifiers.2: {"value":"BLACK_7_UNIT 1","system":"CAISO market resource ID"} — Evaluation Report of Load Serving Entities' Compliance... · confidence: high
- Identifiers.3: {"value":"BLACK_7_UNIT 2","system":"CAISO market resource ID"} — Evaluation Report of Load Serving Entities' Compliance... · confidence: high
- Identifiers.4: {"value":"PGAE North","system":"CAISO area"} — Curtailed · confidence: medium
- Unit configuration: Conventional hydroelectric facility with two vertical-shaft impulse turbines rated at 104,000 hp each, driving two vertical-axis outdoor generators: Unit 1 rated 94.8 MVA and Unit 2 rated 92.6 MVA. — Federal Register :: Pacific Gas and Electric Company; Notice of Application Tendered for Filing With the Commission and Establishing Procedural Schedule for Licensing and Deadline for Submission of Final Amendments · confidence: high
- Commercial operation date: 1965 — Federal Register :: Pacific Gas and Electric Company; Notice of Application Tendered for Filing With the Commission and Establishing Procedural Schedule for Licensing and Deadline for Submission of Final Amendments · confidence: medium
- Unit count: 2 — Federal Register :: Pacific Gas and Electric Company; Notice of Application Tendered for Filing With the Commission and Establishing Procedural Schedule for Licensing and Deadline for Submission of Final Amendments · confidence: high
- Construction scope: Documented installed scope comprises a three-level reinforced-concrete James B. Black powerhouse; a bifurcated penstock serving two turbine-generator units; two vertical-shaft impulse turbines rated at 104,000 hp each; two vertical-axis outdoor generators rated at 94.8 MVA (Unit 1) and 92.6 MVA (Unit 2); one three-phase 86-MVA transformer bank; a switchyard; and the approximately 0.5-mile Black Tap transmission line. — Source · confidence: medium
- Product url: https://www.andritz.com/products-en/group/products/turbines-hydropower — Turbines for hydropower plants · confidence: medium
- Product url: https://www.andritz.com/products-en/group/products/turbines-hydropower — Hydroelectric Power | GE Vernova · confidence: medium
- Kind: hydro — James B Black P-2106 - Hydropower Reform Coalition · confidence: high
- Significance: James B. Black is the largest powerhouse in the 368-MW McCloud-Pit Hydroelectric Project by regulatory maximum capacity, at 172 MW. Its output reaches the grid through the adjacent 230-kV switchyard and the transmission connection known as the Black Tap. — Source · confidence: medium
- Quality notes.0: EIA reports 168.6 MW for the exact plant, while regulatory project documents report 172 MW as the combined maximum capacity; the figures should not be treated as interchangeable ratings. — Source · confidence: high
- Quality notes.2: No acquisition price, project-finance debt, construction-loan amount, refinancing amount, or repowering expenditure is disclosed for this plant in the cited project materials. — Source · confidence: medium
- Quality notes.2: No acquisition price, project-finance debt, construction-loan amount, refinancing amount, or repowering expenditure is disclosed for this plant in the cited project materials. — Active License · confidence: medium
- Timeline.2: {"event":"Pit River facility construction","date":"1921-1966","detail":"The construction of the broader Pit River facility spanned 1921 through 1966 and was described as the single largest construction project in PG&E's history."} — Source · confidence: medium
- Timeline.3: {"event":"Original FERC license issued","date":"1961-08-18","detail":"The original FERC license for the McCloud-Pit Project was issued on August 18, 1961."} — McCloud-Pit Hydroelectric Project Water Quality Certification · confidence: high
- Timeline.4: {"event":"James B. Black Unit 2 commissioned","date":"1965","detail":"FERC's project description states that James B. Black Unit 2 was commissioned in 1965."} — Federal Register :: Pacific Gas and Electric Company; Notice of Application Tendered for Filing With the Commission and Establishing Procedural Schedule for Licensing and Deadline for Submission of Final Amendments · confidence: high
- Timeline.5: {"event":"McCloud-Pit commercial operation","date":"1965-1966","detail":"The McCloud-Pit Hydroelectric Project commenced commercial operation in 1965-1966."} — Source · confidence: medium
- Timeline.6: {"event":"James B. Black Unit 1 commissioned","date":"1966","detail":"FERC's project description states that James B. Black Unit 1 was commissioned in 1966."} — Federal Register :: Pacific Gas and Electric Company; Notice of Application Tendered for Filing With the Commission and Establishing Procedural Schedule for Licensing and Deadline for Submission of Final Amendments · confidence: high
- Timeline.7: {"event":"Relicensing application filed","date":"2009-07-16","detail":"PG&E filed an application for a new major license for the existing 368-MW McCloud-Pit Hydroelectric Project."} — McCloud-Pit Hydroelectric Project FERC... · confidence: high
- Timeline.8: {"event":"Original FERC license expired","date":"2011-07-31","detail":"The original FERC license expired on July 31, 2011; the project subsequently remained subject to the relicensing process."} — McCloud-Pit Hydroelectric Project Water Quality Certification · confidence: high
- Timeline.10: {"event":"Expansion, repowering, or retirement status","date":null,"detail":"No documented expansion, repowering, or retirement milestone is identified; 2026 regulatory material describes the project as an existing hydroelectric generation system operated by PG&E."} — Source · confidence: medium
- Timeline.11: {"event":"Acquisition or sale status","date":null,"detail":"No separate purchase, sale, or ownership-transfer transaction for James B. Black is identified. FERC's active-license record lists PG&E as the licensee for the license issued in 1961, while the historical PG&E transactions identified above concern related water rights and company assets."} — Active License · confidence: medium
- Timeline.11: {"event":"Acquisition or sale status","date":null,"detail":"No separate purchase, sale, or ownership-transfer transaction for James B. Black is identified. FERC's active-license record lists PG&E as the licensee for the license issued in 1961, while the historical PG&E transactions identified above concern related water rights and company assets."} — Source · confidence: medium
- Commercial parties.1: {"relationship":"Federal hydropower regulator","name":"Federal Energy Regulatory Commission","detail":"FERC issued and administers the federal license for Hydroelectric Project No. 2106.","official_url":"https://www.ferc.gov/"} — McCloud-Pit Hydroelectric Project Water Quality Certification · confidence: high

## Timeline

- 1961-08-18 — Original FERC license issued
  The original FERC license for the McCloud-Pit Project was issued on August 18, 1961.
  Source: McCloud-Pit Hydroelectric Project Water Quality Certification (https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/waterrights/water_issues/programs/water_quality_cert/docs/2026/mc-cloud-pit-wqc.pdf)
- 1965 — James B. Black Unit 2 commissioned
  FERC's project description states that James B. Black Unit 2 was commissioned in 1965.
  Source: Federal Register :: Pacific Gas and Electric Company; Notice of Application Tendered for Filing With the Commission and Establishing Procedural Schedule for Licensing and Deadline for Submission of Final Amendments (https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2009/08/05/E9-18634/pacific-gas-and-electric-company-notice-of-application-tendered-for-filing-with-the-commission-and)
- 1966 — James B. Black Unit 1 commissioned
  FERC's project description states that James B. Black Unit 1 was commissioned in 1966.
  Source: Federal Register :: Pacific Gas and Electric Company; Notice of Application Tendered for Filing With the Commission and Establishing Procedural Schedule for Licensing and Deadline for Submission of Final Amendments (https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2009/08/05/E9-18634/pacific-gas-and-electric-company-notice-of-application-tendered-for-filing-with-the-commission-and)
- 2011-07-31 — Original FERC license expired
  The original FERC license expired on July 31, 2011; the project subsequently remained subject to the relicensing process.
  Source: McCloud-Pit Hydroelectric Project Water Quality Certification (https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/waterrights/water_issues/programs/water_quality_cert/docs/2026/mc-cloud-pit-wqc.pdf)
- 2026-06-17 — California water-quality certification issued
  The California State Water Resources Control Board issued water-quality certification for the McCloud-Pit Project as part of Order WQ 2026-0019.
  Source: Source (https://waterboards.ca.gov/waterrights/water_issues/programs/water_quality_cert/mccloudpit_ferc2106.html)

## Sources

- [Source](https://myportal.pge.com/sapportal/documents/payroll/paystatementinserts/retirees/2012/RetireeNews_Nov2012.pdf) — myportal.pge.com · tier other
- [Evaluation Report of Load Serving Entities' Compliance ...](https://www.caiso.com/documents/evaluationreportofloadservingentitiescompliancewith2022resourceadequacyrequirements.pdf) — caiso.com · tier other
- [McCloud-Pit Hydroelectric Project | California State Water Resources Control Board](https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/waterrights/water_issues/programs/water_quality_cert/mccloudpit_ferc2106.html) — waterboards.ca.gov · tier regulatory
- [Source](https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/waterrights/water_issues/programs/water_quality_cert/docs/mccloud_ferc2106/mccloudpit2106_feis2011.pdf) — waterboards.ca.gov · tier regulatory
- [Curtailed](https://www.caiso.com/documents/curtailed-non-operational-generator-am-report-20260131.xlsx) — caiso.com · tier other
- [Source](https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/waterrights/water_issues/programs/water_quality_cert/docs/2026/mccloud-dseir.pdf) — waterboards.ca.gov · tier regulatory
- [Federal Register :: Pacific Gas and Electric Company; Notice of Application Tendered for Filing With the Commission and Establishing Procedural Schedule for Licensing and Deadline for Submission of Final Amendments](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2009/08/05/E9-18634/pacific-gas-and-electric-company-notice-of-application-tendered-for-filing-with-the-commission-and) — federalregister.gov · tier regulatory
- [Turbines for hydropower plants](https://www.andritz.com/products-en/group/products/turbines-hydropower) — andritz.com · tier other
- [Hydroelectric Power | GE Vernova](https://www.gevernova.com/hydropower) — gevernova.com · tier other
- [James B Black P-2106 - Hydropower Reform Coalition](https://hydroreform.org/hydro-project/james-b-black-p-2106/) — hydroreform.org · tier other
- [Source](https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/waterrights/water_issues/programs/water_quality_cert/docs/mccloud_ceqa.pdf) — waterboards.ca.gov · tier regulatory
- [Active License](https://www.ferc.gov/sites/default/files/2020-06/active-licenses.xls) — ferc.gov · tier regulatory
- [McCloud-Pit Hydroelectric Project Water Quality Certification](https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/waterrights/water_issues/programs/water_quality_cert/docs/2026/mc-cloud-pit-wqc.pdf) — waterboards.ca.gov · tier regulatory
- [McCloud-Pit Hydroelectric Project FERC ...](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GOVPUB-E2-PURL-gpo12979/pdf/GOVPUB-E2-PURL-gpo12979.pdf) — govinfo.gov · tier regulatory
- [Source](https://waterboards.ca.gov/waterrights/water_issues/programs/water_quality_cert/mccloudpit_ferc2106.html) — waterboards.ca.gov · tier regulatory

## Data quality

- EIA reports 168.6 MW for the exact plant, while regulatory project documents report 172 MW as the combined maximum capacity; the figures should not be treated as interchangeable ratings. Black powerhouse. No acquisition price, project-finance debt, construction-loan amount, refinancing amount, or repowering expenditure is disclosed for this plant in the cited project materials.

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