World Power Plants

Butt Valley40 MW Hydroelectric

HydroRenewableVerified: Jul 2026

Butt Valley is a 40 MW hydro power plant in the United States, operated by Pacific Gas & Electric Co. since 1959. Ranked #354 of 1469 hydro plants in the United States. Its 40 MW represents 0.03% of the United States' total hydro capacity of 117,947 MW. The largest hydro plant in the United States is Grand Coulee Dam at 6,809 MW, making Butt Valley 170.2 times smaller. Nearby plants include Rock Creek (126 MW, Hydro), Belden (117.9 MW, Hydro), and Caribou 2 (117.9 MW, Hydro). The facility is located in California, approximately 50 km from Redding.

Capacity
40 MW
Commissioning Year
1959

67 years old

Owner
Pacific Gas & Electric Co.
Location
40.1757°, -121.1907°

United States of America, North America

Context & rankings
  • 3,203. largest of 10,098 plants in United States of America
  • #15,126 worldwide by installed capacity
  • #3,470 of 8,493 Hydroelectric plants worldwide
Age & fleet comparison

67 years in operation

Hydroelectric fleet average: 42.1 years

Operator portfolio

Pacific Gas & Electric Co. operates 81 plants totalling 7,669 MW

Regional density

68 plants within 100 km, 2,601 MW combined

Nearest plant: Caribou 2 (10.6 km)

Location

Coordinates:: 40.175700, -121.190700
Open in Google Maps
Carbon Footprint

Zero Direct Emissions

Butt Valley is a hydro power plant producing approximately 140 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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