Search
Search plants, projects, owners, and states
Search plants, projects, owners, and states
600 MW Hydro planned in San Luis Obispo, CA — California Independent System Operator
600 MW
Nameplate Capacity
3
Generators
units
Hydroelectric Pumped Storage
Technology
Planned: —
Planned Operation
Coordinates
35.4542, -120.8671
County
San Luis Obispo, CA
Nearby Plants
| Field | EIA | GEM | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | Premium Energy Holdings | Premium Energy | — |
| Owner(s) | Premium Energy Holdings | Premium Energy | — |
| Status | Planned | announced | — |
GEM identifies the owner as Premium Energy
This entity is not yet in the GEM ownership database — chain unavailable.
The Whale Rock Pumped Storage Hydro Project is a 600 MW hydroelectric pumped storage facility located in San Luis Obispo County, California. The plant utilizes water as its primary fuel source and consists of 3 generators. It is owned and operated by Premium Energy Holdings. The plant is interconnected to the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) balancing authority and resides within the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) NERC region.
The Whale Rock facility holds a significant position among California's power plants, ranking as the 6th largest out of 42 in the state, and nationally it is ranked 42nd out of 194. The plant's operations have been the subject of at least one news article related to the industry.
Generated from EIA, GEM, and public data sources
ISO/RTO
CAISO
Market
ISO/RTO Member
NERC Region
WECC — Western Electricity Coordinating Council
Balancing Authority
No generation data available for this plant.
2023
$1,415/kW
Est. Construction Cost
Total estimated cost: $849.0M
Point of Interconnection
Nearest Substation
Cayucos · 70 kV
Substation Distance
0.681 km
Operator
Pacific Gas and Electric Company
Coord Source
OSM spatial
Market Position
ISO/RTO Market
CAISO
LMP Node
CAYUCOS_6_N001
Pricing Hub
TH_SP15_GEN-APND
Location Type
Pricing Node
Node Source
Curated node match
Last updated 2026-04-09
View all articlesNo ask pi reports yet for this entity.
ask pi about Whale Rock Pumped Storage Hydro ProjectCalifornia Independent System Operator (CISO)
Grid Voltage
230.0 kV
Regulatory Status
NR — Non-Regulated
Entity Type
Independent Power Producer
Sector
IPP Non-CHP