World Power Plants

Pole Hill is a 38.2 MW hydro power plant in the United States, operated by the U S Bureau of Reclamation since 1954. Ranked #370 of 1469 hydro plants in the United States. Its 38.2 MW represents 0.03% 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 Pole Hill 178 times smaller. Nearby plants include Spindle Hill Energy Center (420 MW, Gas), Valmont Combustion Turbine Project (142.2 MW, Gas), and Flatiron (94.5 MW, Hydro). The facility is located in Colorado, approximately 75 km northwest of Denver.

Capacity
38.2 MW
Commissioning Year
1954

72 years old

Owner
U S Bureau of Reclamation
Location
40.3651°, -105.3251°

United States of America, North America

Context & rankings
  • 3,274. largest of 10,098 plants in United States of America
  • #15,493 worldwide by installed capacity
  • #3,558 of 8,493 Hydroelectric plants worldwide
Age & fleet comparison

72 years in operation

Hydroelectric fleet average: 42.1 years

Operator portfolio

U S Bureau of Reclamation operates 59 plants totalling 15,054 MW

Regional density

87 plants within 100 km, 6,702 MW combined

Nearest plant: Flatiron (7.5 km)

Location

Coordinates:: 40.365100, -105.325100
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Carbon Footprint

Zero Direct Emissions

Pole Hill is a hydro power plant producing approximately 134 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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