ELEPHANT BUTTE
OperatingHydro power plant
- Capacity
- 28 MW
- Primary fuel
- Hydro
- County
- Sierra County
- Operator
- U S BUREAU OF RECLAMATION
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 1940
- EIA plant ID
- 6402
- Coordinates
- 33.1534, -107.1920
ELEPHANT BUTTE, a 28 MW Hydro power plant in Sierra County, New Mexico. Operated by U S BUREAU OF RECLAMATION, commissioned 1940.
Weather peril exposure
ELEPHANT BUTTE is a 28 MW hydro power plant in Sierra County, NM, operated by U S BUREAU OF RECLAMATION, commissioned in 1940. Sierra County carries low modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 1.6 of 5 at the 15th national percentile. Riverine flooding is the leading peril, rated Relatively Moderate by FEMA at the 97th 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.
Sierra County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riverine flooding | Relatively Moderate | 97th | 4.9 of 5 | 1.9 |
| Wildfire | Relatively Low | 88th | 4.5 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | 59th | 3.4 of 5 | 59.6 |
| Earthquake | Very Low | 56th | 3.2 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Heat wave | Very Low | 52nd | 3.1 of 5 | 2.3 |
| Winter weather | Relatively Low | 31st | 2.2 of 5 | 5.2 |
| Hail | Relatively Low | 24th | 1.9 of 5 | 0.22 |
| Hurricane | Very Low | 13th | 1.5 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Strong wind | Very Low | 8th | 1.3 of 5 | 0.19 |
| Ice storm | Very Low | 3rd | 1.1 of 5 | 0.04 |
| Tornado | Very Low | 3rd | 1.1 of 5 | 0.09 |
Perils not assessed in Sierra 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 |
Model hail, wind and flood exposure for Sierra 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.