BALCH 2
OperatingHydro power plant
- Capacity
- 105 MW
- Primary fuel
- Hydro
- County
- Fresno County
- Operator
- PACIFIC GAS & ELECTRIC CO
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 1958
- EIA plant ID
- 218
- Generators
- 2
- Technology
- Conventional Hydroelectric
- Net generation (2024)
- 443 GWh
- Capacity factor (2024, EIA nameplate)
- 52%
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 36.9089, -119.0876
BALCH 2, a 105 MW Hydro power plant in Fresno County, California. Operated by PACIFIC GAS & ELECTRIC CO, commissioned 1958.
How BALCH 2 compares
With 105 MW of capacity, BALCH 2 ranks 157th among the 874 operating power plants Bywatts maps in California and 37th of the 195 operating Hydro plants in the state. It accounts for about 0.8% of California's operating Hydro capacity and 0.1% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 169th-largest of the 1,243 operating Hydro plants in the database. Commissioned in 1958, it is older than 90% of the 859 operating California plants with a recorded commissioning year. Its operator, PACIFIC GAS & ELECTRIC CO, runs 71 operating plants in California totaling 7,904 MW. It shares Fresno County with 42 other operating plants, including HELMS PUMPED STORAGE and PANOCHE ENERGY CENTER.
EIA-860 lists 2 generators at the site with 97 MW of nameplate capacity, all conventional hydroelectric technology. Net generation was 443 GWh in 2024 (a 52% capacity factor), up 96% from 2022.
Grid neighborhood
The nearest named substation is BALCH (230 kV), under 0.1 miles away; the closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 230 kV line owned by PACIFIC GAS & ELECTRIC COMPANY, under 0.1 miles away. Another 13 operating power plants totaling 2,333 MW sit within 25 miles; the largest is HELMS PUMPED STORAGE (1,212 MW, Hydro).
Computed by Bywatts from HIFLD power plant, substation and transmission line records and EIA-860/923 survey data; distances are straight-line. Sources and methodology
Weather peril exposure
BALCH 2 is a 105 MW hydro power plant in Fresno County, CA, operated by PACIFIC GAS & ELECTRIC CO, commissioned in 1958. Fresno County carries low modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 1.6 of 5 at the 15th national percentile. Wildfire is the leading peril, rated Relatively High by FEMA at the 96th percentile.
The Bywatts loss layer is calibrated to solar PV hardware, so it is not applied to a hydro plant. The ratings below are the FEMA National Risk Index county hazard ratings for this location.
Fresno County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wildfire | Relatively High | 96th | 4.8 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Earthquake | Relatively High | 94th | 4.8 of 5 | 0.11 |
| Heat wave | Relatively High | 92nd | 4.7 of 5 | 7.0 |
| Riverine flooding | Relatively High | 60th | 3.4 of 5 | 4.1 |
| Hail | Relatively High | 18th | 1.7 of 5 | 0.17 |
| Lightning | Relatively High | 14th | 1.6 of 5 | 12.8 |
| Tornado | Relatively Low | 12th | 1.5 of 5 | 0.52 |
| Winter weather | Very Low | 2nd | 1.1 of 5 | 11.1 |
| Strong wind | Very Low | 1st | 1.0 of 5 | 0.04 |
Perils not assessed in Fresno County
These perils carry no usable National Risk Index figure for this county, so they are excluded from the scoring rather than scored zero. A zero would claim the peril was assessed and found benign.
| Peril | Why it is not scored |
|---|---|
| Hurricane | FEMA rating is "Not Applicable" for this county |
| Coastal flooding | FEMA rating is "Not Applicable" for this county |
| Ice storm | FEMA rating is "Not Applicable" for this county |
Model hail, wind and flood exposure for Fresno County in the weather risk calculator
Ratings are the FEMA National Risk Index county hazard ratings; the peril score is a Bywatts transform of the FEMA national percentile. Full data sources and the solar vulnerability methodology are in the weather risk calculator.
Modeled estimate for screening and negotiation. Built from FEMA National Risk Index county hazard data and a solar vulnerability layer documented above. Not a quote, a binder, or actuarial advice, and not a substitute for a carrier's own model. Hazard data: FEMA National Risk Index December 2025, synced 2026-07-24. Resolution is county level, not site level.