NEW MELONES

How NEW MELONES compares

With 382 MW of capacity, NEW MELONES ranks 42nd among the 874 operating power plants Bywatts maps in California and 6th of the 195 operating Hydro plants in the state. It accounts for about 2.8% of California's operating Hydro capacity and 0.5% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 58th-largest of the 1,243 operating Hydro plants in the database. Commissioned in 1979, it is older than 83% of the 859 operating California plants with a recorded commissioning year. Its operator, U S BUREAU OF RECLAMATION, runs 10 operating plants in California totaling 2,087 MW. It shares Tuolumne County with 16 other operating plants, including DON PEDRO and DION R HOLM.

EIA-860 lists 2 generators at the site with 300 MW of nameplate capacity, all conventional hydroelectric technology (this page's HIFLD capacity figure is 382 MW). Net generation was 520 GWh in 2024 (a 20% capacity factor), up 94% from 2022.

Grid neighborhood

The nearest named substation is NEW MELONES, about 0.1 miles away; the closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 115 kV line owned by PACIFIC GAS & ELECTRIC COMPANY, under 0.1 miles away. Another 16 operating power plants totaling 736 MW sit within 25 miles; the largest is COLLIERVILLE POWERHOUSE (253 MW, Hydro). Within 50 miles is one mapped data center, 801 Tenth Street Modesto (Ayera) in Modesto, about 33.4 miles away.

Computed by Bywatts from HIFLD power plant, substation and transmission line records, EIA-860/923 survey data and PeeringDB data center locations; distances are straight-line. Sources and methodology