World Power Plants

Kern River 126.4 MW Hydroelectric

HydroRenewableVerified: Jul 2026

Kern River 1 is a 26.4 MW hydro power plant in the United States, operated by Southern California Edison Co since 1907. Ranked #438 of 1469 hydro plants in the United States. Its 26.4 MW represents 0.02% 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 Kern River 1 258 times smaller. Nearby plants within 50 km include Sycamore Cogeneration (300 MW, Gas) and Kern River Cogeneration (300 MW, Gas). The facility is located in California, approximately 160 km north of Los Angeles.

Capacity
26.4 MW
Commissioning Year
1907

119 years old

Owner
Southern California Edison Co
Location
35.4603°, -118.7796°

United States of America, North America

Context & rankings
  • 3,616. largest of 10,098 plants in United States of America
  • #17,475 worldwide by installed capacity
  • #4,022 of 8,493 Hydroelectric plants worldwide
Age & fleet comparison

119 years in operation

Hydroelectric fleet average: 42.1 years

Operator portfolio

Southern California Edison Co operates 61 plants totalling 2,582 MW

Regional density

252 plants within 100 km, 17,227 MW combined

Nearest plant: Kern Canyon (2.7 km)

Location

Coordinates:: 35.460300, -118.779600
Open in Google Maps
Carbon Footprint

Zero Direct Emissions

Kern River 1 is a hydro power plant producing approximately 93 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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