ELLWOOD
OperatingNatural Gas power plant
- Capacity
- 58 MW
- Primary fuel
- Natural Gas
- County
- Santa Barbara County
- Operator
- NRG CALIFORNIA SOUTH LP
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 1974
- EIA plant ID
- 8076
- Generators
- 1
- Technology
- Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine
- Net generation (2024)
- 2.5 GWh
- Capacity factor (2024, EIA nameplate)
- 0.5%
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 34.4314, -119.9001
ELLWOOD, a 58 MW Natural Gas power plant in Santa Barbara County, California. Operated by NRG CALIFORNIA SOUTH LP, commissioned 1974.
How ELLWOOD compares
With 58 MW of capacity, ELLWOOD ranks 222nd among the 874 operating power plants Bywatts maps in California and 81st of the 190 operating Natural Gas plants in the state. It accounts for about 0.2% of California's operating Natural Gas capacity and under 0.1% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 780th-largest of the 1,185 operating Natural Gas plants in the database. Commissioned in 1974, it is older than 84% of the 859 operating California plants with a recorded commissioning year. Its operator, NRG CALIFORNIA SOUTH LP, runs 2 operating plants in California totaling 1,670 MW. It shares Santa Barbara County with 3 other operating plants, including EXXONMOBIL SANTA YNEZ FACILITY and J&A-SANTA MARIA II LLC.
EIA-860 lists 1 generator at the site with 58 MW of nameplate capacity, all natural gas fired combustion turbine technology. Net generation was 2.5 GWh in 2024 (a 0.5% capacity factor).
Grid neighborhood
The nearest named substation is ONSHORE, about 0.7 miles away; the closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 230 kV line owned by AZUSA LIGHT & POWER, about 2.8 miles away. One other operating power plant sits within 25 miles: EXXONMOBIL SANTA YNEZ FACILITY (49 MW, Natural Gas).
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
ELLWOOD is a 58 MW natural gas power plant in Santa Barbara County, CA, operated by NRG CALIFORNIA SOUTH LP, commissioned in 1974. Santa Barbara County carries low modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 1.7 of 5 at the 17th national percentile. Earthquake 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 natural gas plant. The ratings below are the FEMA National Risk Index county hazard ratings for this location.
Santa Barbara County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Earthquake | Relatively High | 98th | 4.9 of 5 | 0.05 |
| Wildfire | Relatively High | 96th | 4.8 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Riverine flooding | Relatively High | 95th | 4.8 of 5 | 1.5 |
| Heat wave | Relatively Low | 73rd | 3.9 of 5 | 7.3 |
| Coastal flooding | Relatively Low | 27th | 2.1 of 5 | 1.1 |
| Tornado | Very Low | 2nd | 1.1 of 5 | 0.10 |
| Lightning | Relatively Low | 1st | 1.1 of 5 | 4.3 |
| Winter weather | Very Low | 1st | 1.0 of 5 | 3.8 |
| Strong wind | Very Low | 1st | 1.0 of 5 | 0.02 |
| Hail | Very Low | 0th | 1.0 of 5 | 0.03 |
Perils not assessed in Santa Barbara 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 "No Rating" for this county |
| Ice storm | FEMA rating is "Not Applicable" for this county |
Model hail, wind and flood exposure for Santa Barbara 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.