World Power Plants

Kern River 340.3 MW Hydroelectric

HydroRenewableVerified: Jul 2026

Kern River 3 is a 40.3 MW hydro power plant in the United States, operated by Southern California Edison Co since 1921. Ranked #353 of 1,469 hydro plants in the United States, Kern River 3's 40.3 MW represents 0.03% of the country's total hydro capacity of 117,947 MW. The largest hydro plant in the United States is Grand Coulee Dam at 6,809 MW, making Kern River 3 169 times smaller. Nearby plants include North Sky River Energy LLC (162 MW, Wind), Kern River 1 (26.4 MW, Hydro), and Rio Bravo Hydro Project (14 MW, Hydro). The facility is located approximately 150 km from Los Angeles in the southern region of California.

Capacity
40.3 MW
Commissioning Year
1921

105 years old

Owner
Southern California Edison Co
Location
35.7762°, -118.4362°

United States of America, North America

Context & rankings
  • 3,201. largest of 10,098 plants in United States of America
  • #15,112 worldwide by installed capacity
  • #3,468 of 8,493 Hydroelectric plants worldwide
Age & fleet comparison

105 years in operation

Hydroelectric fleet average: 42.1 years

Operator portfolio

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

Regional density

171 plants within 100 km, 10,070 MW combined

Nearest plant: Isabella Hydro Project (15.3 km)

Location

Coordinates:: 35.776200, -118.436200
Open in Google Maps
Carbon Footprint

Zero Direct Emissions

Kern River 3 is a hydro power plant producing approximately 141 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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