World Power Plants

Ralston is a 79.2 MW hydro power plant in the United States, operated by Placer County Water Agency since 1966. Ranked #237 of 1469 hydro plants in the United States. Its 79.2 MW represents 0.07% 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 Ralston 86 times smaller. Nearby plants within 50 km include White Rock/Slab Creek (266.5 MW, Hydro), Folsom (198.6 MW, Hydro), and Folsom Powerplant (198.6 MW, Hydro). The facility is located in California, approximately 150 km northeast of Sacramento.

Capacity
79.2 MW
Commissioning Year
1966

60 years old

Owner
Placer County Water Agency
Location
39.0010°, -120.7251°

United States of America, North America

Context & rankings
  • 2,452. largest of 10,098 plants in United States of America
  • #11,271 worldwide by installed capacity
  • #2,622 of 8,493 Hydroelectric plants worldwide
  • 0.01% of the installed capacity of United States of America
Age & fleet comparison

60 years in operation

Hydroelectric fleet average: 42.1 years

Operator portfolio

Placer County Water Agency operates 4 plants totalling 223 MW

Regional density

138 plants within 100 km, 7,534 MW combined

Nearest plant: Oxbow (CA) (1.9 km)

Location

Coordinates:: 39.001000, -120.725100
Open in Google Maps
Carbon Footprint

Zero Direct Emissions

Ralston is a hydro power plant producing approximately 278 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

See Incorrect or Missing Data?

Help us improve our database by reporting any corrections or updates. Your contribution helps keep our global power plant data accurate and up-to-date.