MOUNT ELBERT
OperatingHydro power plant
- Capacity
- 200 MW
- Primary fuel
- Hydro
- County
- Lake County
- Operator
- U S BUREAU OF RECLAMATION
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 1981
- EIA plant ID
- 6208
- Generators
- 2
- Technology
- Hydroelectric Pumped Storage
- Net generation (2024)
- -4.4 GWh
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 39.0942, -106.3524
MOUNT ELBERT, a 200 MW Hydro power plant in Lake County, Colorado. Operated by U S BUREAU OF RECLAMATION, commissioned 1981.
How MOUNT ELBERT compares
With 200 MW of capacity, MOUNT ELBERT ranks 24th among the 114 operating power plants Bywatts maps in Colorado and 2nd of the 39 operating Hydro plants in the state. It accounts for about 17% of Colorado's operating Hydro capacity and 1.3% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 89th-largest of the 1,243 operating Hydro plants in the database. Commissioned in 1981, it is older than 63% of the 111 operating Colorado plants with a recorded commissioning year. Its operator, U S BUREAU OF RECLAMATION, runs 14 operating plants in Colorado totaling 734 MW. It shares Lake County with one other operating plant, SUGARLOAF HYDRO PLANT.
EIA-860 lists 2 generators at the site with 200 MW of nameplate capacity, all hydroelectric pumped storage technology. The plant was a net consumer of electricity in 2024 (-4.4 GWh), which is typical of pumped storage. Its generators came online between 1981 and 1984.
Grid neighborhood
The nearest named substation is MOUNT ELBERT POWERPLANT, under 0.1 miles away; the closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 230 kV line owned by PUBLIC SERVICE CO OF COLORADO, about 0.9 miles away. One other operating power plant sits within 25 miles: SUGARLOAF HYDRO PLANT (3 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
MOUNT ELBERT is a 200 MW hydro power plant in Lake County, CO, operated by U S BUREAU OF RECLAMATION, commissioned in 1981. Lake County carries high modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 3.4 of 5 at the 61st national percentile. Riverine flooding is the leading peril, rated Very Low by FEMA at the 73rd 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.
Lake County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riverine flooding | Very Low | 73rd | 3.9 of 5 | 0.01 |
| Hail | Very Low | 70th | 3.8 of 5 | 1.1 |
| Earthquake | Very Low | 68th | 3.7 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Winter weather | Very Low | 61st | 3.4 of 5 | 31.6 |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 45th | 2.8 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Ice storm | Very Low | 20th | 1.8 of 5 | 0.01 |
| Lightning | Relatively Low | 19th | 1.7 of 5 | 55.1 |
| Tornado | Very Low | 17th | 1.7 of 5 | 0.02 |
| Strong wind | Very Low | 16th | 1.6 of 5 | 0.22 |
Perils not assessed in Lake 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 |
| Heat wave | FEMA rating is "No Rating" for this county |
Model hail, wind and flood exposure for Lake 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.