BELDEN
OperatingHydro power plant
- Capacity
- 125 MW
- Primary fuel
- Hydro
- County
- Plumas County
- Operator
- PACIFIC GAS & ELECTRIC CO
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 1969
- EIA plant ID
- 219
- Generators
- 1
- Technology
- Conventional Hydroelectric
- Net generation (2024)
- 365 GWh
- Capacity factor (2024, EIA nameplate)
- 35%
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 40.0074, -121.2494
BELDEN, a 125 MW Hydro power plant in Plumas County, California. Operated by PACIFIC GAS & ELECTRIC CO, commissioned 1969.
How BELDEN compares
With 125 MW of capacity, BELDEN ranks 133rd among the 874 operating power plants Bywatts maps in California and 27th of the 195 operating Hydro plants in the state. It accounts for about 0.9% of California's operating Hydro capacity and 0.2% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 144th-largest of the 1,243 operating Hydro plants in the database. Commissioned in 1969, it is older than 85% 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 Plumas County with 9 other operating plants, including ROCK CREEK and CARIBOU 2.
EIA-860 lists 1 generator at the site with 118 MW of nameplate capacity, all conventional hydroelectric technology. Net generation was 365 GWh in 2024 (a 35% capacity factor), about 2.1 times its 2022 output.
Grid neighborhood
The nearest named substation is BELDEN (230 kV), about 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 14 operating power plants totaling 738 MW sit within 25 miles; the largest is POE (143 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
BELDEN is a 125 MW hydro power plant in Plumas County, CA, operated by PACIFIC GAS & ELECTRIC CO, commissioned in 1969. Plumas County carries moderate modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 2.0 of 5 at the 25th national percentile. Wildfire is the leading peril, rated Relatively High by FEMA at the 98th 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.
Plumas County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wildfire | Relatively High | 98th | 4.9 of 5 | 0.01 |
| Riverine flooding | Relatively Moderate | 97th | 4.9 of 5 | 0.46 |
| Earthquake | Relatively Moderate | 94th | 4.8 of 5 | 0.04 |
| Heat wave | Very Low | 53rd | 3.1 of 5 | 2.5 |
| Hail | Very Low | 16th | 1.6 of 5 | 0.13 |
| Winter weather | Relatively Moderate | 13th | 1.5 of 5 | 34.9 |
| Tornado | Very Low | 9th | 1.4 of 5 | 0.14 |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | 9th | 1.3 of 5 | 14.5 |
| Strong wind | Very Low | 5th | 1.2 of 5 | 0.07 |
Perils not assessed in Plumas 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 Plumas 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.