World Power Plants

Caribou 173.8 MW Hydroelectric

HydroRenewableVerified: Jul 2026

Caribou 1 is a 73.8 MW hydroelectric power plant in the United States, operated by Pacific Gas & Electric Co. since 1922. Ranked #249 of 1,469 hydro plants in the United States. Its 73.8 MW represents 0.06% 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 Caribou 1 92.3 times smaller. Nearby plants include Poe (142.8 MW, Hydro), Rock Creek (126 MW, Hydro), and Belden (117.9 MW, Hydro). The facility is located in California, approximately 70 km northeast of Sacramento.

Capacity
73.8 MW
Commissioning Year
1922

104 years old

Owner
Pacific Gas & Electric Co.
Location
40.0855°, -121.1482°

United States of America, North America

Context & rankings
  • 2,544. largest of 10,098 plants in United States of America
  • #11,564 worldwide by installed capacity
  • #2,705 of 8,493 Hydroelectric plants worldwide
  • 0.01% of the installed capacity of United States of America
Age & fleet comparison

104 years in operation

Hydroelectric fleet average: 42.1 years

Operator portfolio

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

Regional density

70 plants within 100 km, 2,473 MW combined

Nearest plant: Oak Flat (1.6 km)

Location

Coordinates:: 40.085500, -121.148200
Open in Google Maps
Carbon Footprint

Zero Direct Emissions

Caribou 1 is a hydro power plant producing approximately 259 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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