BIG CREEK 4
OperatingHydro power plant
- Capacity
- 100 MW
- Primary fuel
- Hydro
- County
- Madera County
- Operator
- SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA EDISON CO
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 1951
- EIA plant ID
- 320
- Generators
- 2
- Technology
- Conventional Hydroelectric
- Net generation (2024)
- 384 GWh
- Capacity factor (2024, EIA nameplate)
- 44%
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 37.1390, -119.4898
BIG CREEK 4, a 100 MW Hydro power plant in Madera County, California. Operated by SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA EDISON CO, commissioned 1951.
How BIG CREEK 4 compares
With 100 MW of capacity, BIG CREEK 4 ranks 168th among the 874 operating power plants Bywatts maps in California and 40th of the 195 operating Hydro plants in the state. It accounts for about 0.7% of California's operating Hydro capacity and 0.1% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 179th-largest of the 1,243 operating Hydro plants in the database. Commissioned in 1951, it is older than 93% of the 859 operating California plants with a recorded commissioning year. Its operator, SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA EDISON CO, runs 22 operating plants in California totaling 2,341 MW. It shares Madera County with 9 other operating plants, including MAMMOTH POOL and CHOWCHILLA II.
EIA-860 lists 2 generators at the site with 100 MW of nameplate capacity, all conventional hydroelectric technology. Net generation was 384 GWh in 2024 (a 44% capacity factor), up 51% from 2022.
Grid neighborhood
The nearest named substation is BIG CREEK 4 (230 kV), about 0.1 miles away; the closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 230 kV line, about 0.1 miles away. Another 16 operating power plants totaling 1,319 MW sit within 25 miles; the largest is J S EASTWOOD (200 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
BIG CREEK 4 is a 100 MW hydro power plant in Madera County, CA, operated by SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA EDISON CO, commissioned in 1951. Madera County carries low modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 1.8 of 5 at the 19th 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.
Madera County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wildfire | Relatively High | 98th | 4.9 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Earthquake | Relatively Moderate | 94th | 4.8 of 5 | 0.07 |
| Riverine flooding | Relatively High | 88th | 4.5 of 5 | 1.4 |
| Heat wave | Relatively High | 75th | 4.0 of 5 | 6.6 |
| Winter weather | Relatively Moderate | 13th | 1.5 of 5 | 11.9 |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | 12th | 1.5 of 5 | 15.6 |
| Tornado | Very Low | 8th | 1.3 of 5 | 0.20 |
| Strong wind | Relatively Low | 5th | 1.2 of 5 | 0.05 |
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | 5th | 1.2 of 5 | 0.18 |
Perils not assessed in Madera 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 Madera 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.