SALTON SEA POWER GEN CO - UNIT 3
OperatingGeothermal power plant
- Capacity
- 54 MW
- Primary fuel
- Geothermal
- County
- Imperial County
- Operator
- CALENERGY OPERATING CORPORATION
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 1989
- EIA plant ID
- 10759
- Generators
- 1
- Technology
- Geothermal
- Net generation (2024)
- 315 GWh
- Capacity factor (2024, EIA nameplate)
- 67%
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 33.1582, -115.6387
SALTON SEA POWER GEN CO - UNIT 3, a 54 MW Geothermal power plant in Imperial County, California. One of 1,114 power plants tracked in California on Bywatts.
How SALTON SEA POWER GEN CO - UNIT 3 compares
With 54 MW of capacity, SALTON SEA POWER GEN CO - UNIT 3 ranks 238th among the 874 operating power plants Bywatts maps in California and 12th of the 24 operating Geothermal plants in the state. It accounts for about 2.1% of California's operating Geothermal capacity and under 0.1% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 14th-largest of the 34 operating Geothermal plants in the database. Commissioned in 1989, it is older than 64% of the 859 operating California plants with a recorded commissioning year. Its operator, CALENERGY OPERATING CORPORATION, runs 8 operating plants in California totaling 324 MW. It shares Imperial County with 33 other operating plants, including IMPERIAL VALLEY SOLAR LLC and EL CENTRO.
EIA-860 lists 1 generator at the site with 54 MW of nameplate capacity, all geothermal technology. Net generation was 315 GWh in 2024 (a 67% capacity factor), up 4% from 2022.
Grid neighborhood
The nearest named substation is SALTON SEA 2, about 0.1 miles away; the closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 230 kV line owned by IMPERIAL IRRIGATION DISTRICT, about 5.0 miles away. Another 18 operating power plants totaling 795 MW sit within 25 miles; the largest is SOLAR GEN 2 (155 MW, Solar).
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
SALTON SEA POWER GEN CO - UNIT 3 is a 54 MW geothermal power plant in Imperial County, CA, operated by CALENERGY OPERATING CORPORATION, commissioned in 1989. Imperial County carries low modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 1.4 of 5 at the 9th national percentile. Earthquake is the leading peril, rated Relatively High by FEMA at the 99th percentile.
The Bywatts loss layer is calibrated to solar PV hardware, so it is not applied to a geothermal plant. The ratings below are the FEMA National Risk Index county hazard ratings for this location.
Imperial County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Earthquake | Relatively High | 99th | 5.0 of 5 | 0.15 |
| Riverine flooding | Relatively High | 77th | 4.1 of 5 | 1.5 |
| Heat wave | Relatively Moderate | 70th | 3.8 of 5 | 16.9 |
| Wildfire | Relatively Low | 52nd | 3.1 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Strong wind | Relatively Moderate | 16th | 1.6 of 5 | 0.28 |
| Hail | Very Low | 11th | 1.4 of 5 | 0.05 |
| Tornado | Very Low | 4th | 1.2 of 5 | 0.10 |
| Lightning | Very Low | 0th | 1.0 of 5 | 11.3 |
| Hurricane | Very Low | 0th | 1.0 of 5 | 0.02 |
| Winter weather | Very Low | 0th | 1.0 of 5 | <0.01 |
Perils not assessed in Imperial 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 |
|---|---|
| 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 Imperial 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.