World Power Plants

Merced Falls is a 3.4 MW hydroelectric power plant in the United States, operated by Merced Irrigation District since 1930. Ranked #1024 of 1469 hydro plants in the United States. Its 3.4 MW represents 0.003% of the country's 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 Merced Falls 2,000.3 times smaller. Nearby plants include New Melones (300 MW, Hydro), Don Pedro (170.8 MW, Hydro), and Dion R Holm (156.8 MW, Hydro). The facility is located in California, approximately 50 km east of Modesto.

Capacity
3.4 MW
Commissioning Year
1930

96 years old

Owner
Merced Irrigation District
Location
37.5230°, -120.3299°

United States of America, North America

Context & rankings
  • 7,029. largest of 10,098 plants in United States of America
  • #31,649 worldwide by installed capacity
  • #6,930 of 8,493 Hydroelectric plants worldwide
Age & fleet comparison

96 years in operation

Hydroelectric fleet average: 42.1 years

Operator portfolio

Merced Irrigation District operates 4 plants totalling 110 MW

Regional density

105 plants within 100 km, 6,208 MW combined

Nearest plant: McSwain (1.7 km)

Location

Coordinates:: 37.523000, -120.329900
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Carbon Footprint

Zero Direct Emissions

Merced Falls is a hydro power plant producing approximately 12 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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