World Power Plants

Boulder City Betasso Hydro Plant3 MW Hydroelectric

HydroRenewableVerified: Jul 2026

Boulder City Betasso Hydro Plant is a 3 MW hydroelectric power plant in the United States, operated by Boulder City since 1988. Ranked #1064 of 1469 hydro plants in the United States. Its 3 MW represents 0.0025% 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 Boulder City Betasso 2,269.67 times smaller. Nearby plants within 50 km include Cherokee (1006.4 MW, Gas), Spindle Hill Energy Center (420 MW, Gas), and Cabin Creek (300 MW, Hydro). The facility is located in Boulder County, approximately 40 km northwest of Denver.

Capacity
3 MW
Commissioning Year
1988

38 years old

Owner
Boulder City of
Location
40.0111°, -105.3347°

United States of America, North America

Context & rankings
  • 7,208. largest of 10,098 plants in United States of America
  • #32,056 worldwide by installed capacity
  • #7,023 of 8,493 Hydroelectric plants worldwide
Age & fleet comparison

38 years in operation

Hydroelectric fleet average: 42.1 years

Operator portfolio

Boulder City of operates 4 plants totalling 15 MW

Regional density

91 plants within 100 km, 6,566 MW combined

Nearest plant: Boulder Canyon Hydro (0.7 km)

Location

Coordinates:: 40.011100, -105.334700
Open in Google Maps
Carbon Footprint

Zero Direct Emissions

Boulder City Betasso Hydro Plant is a hydro power plant producing approximately 11 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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