World Power Plants

Big Creek Water Works5 MW Hydroelectric

HydroRenewableVerified: Jul 2026

Big Creek Water Works is a 5 MW hydro power plant in the United States, operated by Big Creek Water Works Ltd and commissioned in 1987. Ranked #871 of 1469 hydro plants in the United States. Its 5 MW represents 0.004% of the United States' total hydro capacity of 117,947 MW. The largest hydro plant in the United States is the Grand Coulee Dam at 6,809 MW, making Big Creek Water Works 1,362 times smaller. Nearby plants within 50 km include Gosselin Hydro Plant (Hydro, 2 MW), Baker Creek Hydroelectric (Hydro, 1.5 MW), and Three Forks Water Power Project (Hydro, 1.3 MW). The facility is located in California, approximately 250 km northwest of San Francisco.

Capacity
5 MW
Commissioning Year
1987

39 years old

Owner
Big Creek Water Works Ltd
Location
40.6467°, -123.4980°

United States of America, North America

Context & rankings
  • 5,828. largest of 10,098 plants in United States of America
  • #28,340 worldwide by installed capacity
  • #6,423 of 8,493 Hydroelectric plants worldwide
Age & fleet comparison

39 years in operation

Hydroelectric fleet average: 42.1 years

Operator portfolio

Big Creek Water Works Ltd operates 1 plants totalling 5 MW

Regional density

17 plants within 100 km, 1,738 MW combined

Nearest plant: Baker Creek Hydroelectric (23.4 km)

Location

Coordinates:: 40.646700, -123.498000
Open in Google Maps
Carbon Footprint

Zero Direct Emissions

Big Creek Water Works is a hydro power plant producing approximately 18 GWh of clean electricity per year with zero direct CO₂ emissions during operation.

Lifecycle emissions: ~24 g CO₂/kWh (manufacturing, transport, decommissioning)

Technical Details

Primary Fuel Type
Hydro
Energy Source
Renewable
Country
United States of America
Continent
North America
Data Source
Global Power Plant Database

United States of AmericaEnergy Profile

10,098
Total Plants
1420.7 GW
Total Capacity
GasCoalNuclearWind
Top Fuels

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