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424 MW Hydro operating in Merced, CA — California Independent System Operator
424 MW
Nameplate Capacity
8
Generators
units
Hydroelectric Pumped Storage
Technology
1967
Operating Since
Coordinates
37.0692, -121.0772
County
Merced, CA
Nearby Plants
Owner data does not fully agree across sources.
EIA typically reports the operating utility, while GEM resolves to the financial owner or parent corporation. Both can be correct.
| Field | EIA | GEM | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | California Dept. of Water Resources | California Department of Water Resources | — |
| Owner(s) | California Dept. of Water Resources, U S Bureau of Reclamation | US Bureau of Reclamation | — |
| Status | Operating | operating | — |
GEM identifies the owner as US Bureau of Reclamation
This entity is not yet in the GEM ownership database — chain unavailable.
The Gianelli Power Plant, also known as the San Luis Power Plant, is a pumped-storage hydroelectric plant that is at the base of the San Luis Dam in California. During the wet season, turbines pump water from the O'Neill Forebay into the reservoir, then when needed during the irrigation season, water flows from the reservoir back through the turbines and generates electricity. This is an unusual use of pumped storage where the intention is to capture irrigation water not to store power. Storage capacity delivers up to 298 hours of generation at full power.
Read more on WikipediaThe W R Gianelli power plant, located in Merced County, California, is a 424 MW hydroelectric pumped storage facility. It began operating in 1967 and is owned and operated by the California Department of Water Resources. The plant consists of 8 generators utilizing water as its primary fuel source.
W R Gianelli operates within the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) balancing authority and the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) NERC region. It is the 7th largest power plant out of 42 in California, and ranks 56th nationally out of 194 plants.
Generated from EIA, GEM, and public data sources
ISO/RTO
CAISO
Market
ISO/RTO Member
NERC Region
WECC — Western Electricity Coordinating Council
Balancing Authority
−41.9K MWh
Net Charging
-152.3K MWh
Annual Net Energy
-4.2%
Capacity Factor
Positive values indicate net discharge (generation exceeds station load). Negative values indicate net charging. Pure battery storage plants are typically net negative due to round-trip efficiency losses.
2013
$2,294/kW
Est. Construction Cost
Total estimated cost: $972.9M
Market Position
ISO/RTO Market
CAISO
LMP Node
SANLUIS8_7_B3
Pricing Hub
TH_NP15_GEN-APND
Alt. Hub / Zone
TH_ZP26_GEN-APND
Location Type
Pricing Node
Node Source
Curated node match
No news articles linked yet for this plant.
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No ask pi reports yet for this entity.
ask pi about W R GianelliCalifornia Independent System Operator (CISO)
Grid Voltage
230.0 kV
Regulatory Status
RE — Regulated
Entity Type
State
Sector
Electric Utility