# Monticello Dam

CAISO asset profile · https://askthegrid.com/assets/facilities/monticello-dam

Solano Irrigation District - Solano County - CAISO

Monticello Dam is an 11.5-megawatt conventional hydroelectric plant in Solano County, California, made up of three generating units. The powerhouse sits at the base of the Bureau of Reclamation's Monticello Dam on Putah Creek, drawing on releases from Lake Berryessa. It is owned and operated by the Solano Irrigation District (SID) under FERC Project No. 2780, the first hydro project owned by a local agency at the base of a federal dam in the United States. SID sells the plant's output to Pacific Gas and Electric under a long-term power purchase agreement tied to the FERC license, both of which are set to expire in 2031. In December 2025, SID filed a notice of intent with FERC to seek a new license for the project and is proceeding through FERC's Traditional Licensing Process, which the agency approved in February 2026. Power output at the plant is a byproduct of water-delivery operations rather than grid demand, since flows are set by irrigation and municipal water orders along the Solano Project.

## Metrics

- **Nameplate capacity:** 11.5 MW — Canonical EIA plant baseline.
- **Registry anchor:** Plant 7646 — plant-7646

## Facts

- **Technology:** Conventional Hydroelectric
- **Operator:** Solano Irrigation District

## Related parties

- **Owner / operator:** Solano Irrigation District — owner and operator ([source](https://www.sidwater.org/456/Monticello-Power-House-FERC-Relicensing))
- **Grantor / regulatory counterparty:** U.S. Bureau of Reclamation — Federal owner of dam and lake ([source](https://www.usbr.gov/projects/index.php?id=186))
- **Offtaker:** Pacific Gas and Electric Company — power purchaser ([source](https://www.pge.com/))

## Sources

- [sidwater.org](https://www.sidwater.org/Archive/ViewFile/Item/111) — sidwater.org · public_source — Source retained for exact-record publication review.

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Canonical page: https://askthegrid.com/assets/facilities/monticello-dam
Website: [Solano Irrigation District](https://www.sidwater.org/456/Monticello-Power-House-FERC-Relicensing)

Source: Ask the Grid — https://askthegrid.com/