
The Thermalito Pumping-Generating Plant in Oroville, California, is part of the State Water Project's (SWP) Oroville-Thermalito Complex, which is the state's largest reservoir. The complex serves as a regional water conveyance and storage system and is the headwaters for the California Department of Water Resources' State Water Project. The Thermalito Plant produces electricity by transferring water from the Thermalito Forebay to the Thermalito Afterbay through four generating units, providing power to the state of California.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | 410 Grand Ave, Oroville, California, 95965, United States |
| Phone Number | (530) 533-0740 |
| Website | www.twsd.info |
| Revenue | $500,000 to $1 million |
| Number of Employees | 10 to 19 |
| Industry | Energy, Utilities & Waste, Water Treatment |
| Competitors | Northeast Morgan County Water, Belmont County Water & Sewer District, Clifton Water District, Baca Grande Water |
| Technologies Used | reCAPTCHA, New Relic Browser, Google Font API, YouTube |
| Power Generation | The Thermalito Plant produces electricity by transferring water from the Thermalito Forebay to the Thermalito Afterbay through four generating units. Together, these units can produce up to 118 megawatts of electricity, enough to power roughly 100,000 households. |
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What You'll Learn

The Thermalito Pumping-Generating Plant
The Ronald B. Robie Thermalito Pumping-Generating Plant, located at the Thermalito Afterbay, is part of the State Water Project's (SWP) Oroville-Thermalito Complex, which is the state of California's largest reservoir. The complex is the SWP's leading generator of hydroelectric power.
The Thermalito Plant produces electricity by transferring water from the Thermalito Forebay to the Thermalito Afterbay through four generating units. Together, these units can produce up to 118 megawatts of electricity, enough to power approximately 100,000 households. The plant can also pump water back into Lake Oroville to be reused for power generation at the Hyatt Powerplant when required.
The Hyatt Powerplant is located at the Oroville Dam, which is the second-largest reservoir in California. The lake stores winter and spring runoff, which is released into the Feather River at controlled intervals to meet the Project's needs. It also provides pumped-storage capacity, flood control storage, recreation, and freshwater releases to control salinity intrusion in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and for fish and wildlife protection.
The Thermalito Diversion Dam, which is 143 feet tall and has a crest length of 1,300 feet, sits at the south end of the Diversion Pool reservoir. The dam can either divert water westward into the Thermalito Power Canal for power generation at the Thermalito Pumping-Generating Plant or release it southward into the Feather River. The Thermalito Diversion Dam Powerplant is located at the Thermalito Diversion Dam below the left abutment of the dam. The power plant generates electricity from water released into the Feather River to maintain the fish habitat between the diversion dam and the Thermalito Afterbay river outlet.
The Thermalito Afterbay is a significantly larger reservoir than the Forebay, and it sits just two miles southwest of the tail end of the Forebay. The Afterbay provides storage for the water required by the pumpback operation to Lake Oroville, helps regulate the power system, and produces a controlled flow in the Feather River downstream from the Oroville-Thermalito facilities. The Thermalito Afterbay Dam, at 42,000 feet long, is the longest crest in the California State Water Project system.
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Oroville–Thermalito Complex
The Oroville–Thermalito Complex is a group of reservoirs, structures, and facilities located in and around the city of Oroville in Butte County, California. The complex is one of the largest publicly built and operated water and power development and conveyance systems. It serves as the headwaters for the California Department of Water Resources' State Water Project. The complex was designed as an efficient water and power storage and conveyance system.
The facilities include three power plants, two of which can either pump water or generate power. These are the Hyatt Powerplant, the Thermalito Diversion Dam Powerplant, and the Thermalito Pumping-Generating Plant. The complex also includes the State Water Project's largest reservoir, Lake Oroville, a forebay and afterbay, a fish hatchery, and a visitors centre.
Lake Oroville is California's second-largest reservoir. It stores winter and spring runoff, which is released into the Feather River at controlled intervals to meet the Project's needs. It also provides pumped-storage capacity, flood control storage, recreation, and freshwater releases to control salinity intrusion in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and for fish and wildlife protection. The lake has a maximum operating storage capacity of 3,537,580 acre-feet, a water surface area of 15,810 acres, a maximum water surface elevation of 901 feet, and 167 miles of shoreline.
The Thermalito Afterbay is a significantly larger reservoir than the forebay, and it sits just two miles southwest of the tail end of the forebay. It provides storage for the water required by the pumpback operation to Lake Oroville, helps regulate the power system, produces a controlled flow in the Feather River, and provides recreation to the area. The Afterbay has a maximum operating storage of 57,040 acre-feet, a water surface area of 4,300 acres at maximum storage, and a shoreline of 26 miles.
The Thermalito Forebay is an offstream reservoir located about four miles west of Oroville. It conveys generating and pumping flows between the Thermalito Power Canal and the Thermalito Powerplant, provides regulatory storage and surge damping for the Hyatt–Thermalito power complex, and serves as a recreational area. The forebay has a maximum operating storage of 11,770 acre-feet, a water surface area of 630 acres at maximum storage, and a shoreline of 10 miles.
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Hyatt Powerplant
The Hyatt Powerplant, also known as the Edward Hyatt Powerplant, is a part of the Oroville-Thermalito Complex, which is a water and power system. The complex is located about four miles west of the city of Oroville in Butte County, California. It is one of the largest publicly built and operated water and power development and conveyance systems. The complex includes three power plants, two of which can either pump water or generate power. The Hyatt Powerplant is one of these two plants, and it generates power from releases made through the plant. The other plant with the same capabilities is the Thermalito Pumping-Generating Plant, which is the principal feature of the Oroville-Thermalito pumped storage power complex. The third power plant is the Thermalito Diversion Dam Powerplant.
The Hyatt Powerplant is an underground, hydroelectric, pumping-generating facility. It is located in rock in the left abutment near the axis of the Oroville Dam. The power plant has a generation capacity of 645 megawatts. Construction of the Hyatt Powerplant began in 1964 and was completed in 1967, with operations starting in 1968. The plant maximizes power production through a pumped-storage operation where water, released for power in excess of local and downstream requirements, is returned to storage in Lake Oroville during off-peak periods and is used for generation during peak power demands. The diversion pool also acts as a forebay when the Hyatt Powerplant is pumping water back into Lake Oroville, as well as providing recreation opportunities.
The Oroville-Thermalito Complex stores about 3.5 million acre-feet of water and generates power from releases made through the Hyatt Powerplant and two other generating plants in nearby Thermalito. All reservoirs and canals combined store about 3,620,000 acre-feet when at maximum capacity. The complex includes Lake Oroville, which is the State Water Project's largest reservoir. It is the second-largest reservoir in California and stores winter and spring runoff, which is released into the Feather River at controlled intervals to meet the Project's needs. The lake provides pumped-storage capacity, flood control storage, recreation, and freshwater releases to control salinity intrusion in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and for fish and wildlife protection.
The Thermalito Afterbay is a significantly larger reservoir than the forebay, and it sits just two miles southwest of the tail end of the forebay. The afterbay provides storage for the water required by the pumpback operation to Lake Oroville, helps regulate the power system, produces a controlled flow in the Feather River downstream from the Oroville-Thermalito facilities, and provides recreation to the area. It also serves as a warming basin for agricultural water delivery to the rice and grain fields west of the afterbay.
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Thermalito Diversion Dam Powerplant
The Thermalito Diversion Dam Powerplant is located at the Thermalito Diversion Dam, below its left abutment. The powerplant generates electricity from water released into the Feather River, which is used to maintain the fish habitat between the diversion dam and the Thermalito Afterbay river outlet. The powerplant was constructed between 1985 and 1987 and has a generating capacity of 3.4 megawatts.
The Thermalito Diversion Dam sits at the south end of the Diversion Pool reservoir, which impounds it. The dam can either divert water westward into the Thermalito Power Canal for power generation at the Thermalito Pumping-Generating Plant at the tail end of the Thermalito Forebay or release flow straight through, south, into the Feather River. The Diversion Dam is 143 feet tall and has a crest length of 1,300 feet.
The Thermalito Pumping-Generating Plant, also known as the Ronald B. Robie Thermalito Pumping-Generating Plant, is a principal feature of the Oroville-Thermalito pumped storage power complex. The plant produces electricity by transferring water from the Thermalito Forebay to the Thermalito Afterbay through four generating units. Together, these units can produce up to 118 megawatts of electricity, enough to power approximately 100,000 households. The Thermalito Forebay is an offstream reservoir contained by the Thermalito Forebay Dam on the east and south and by Campbell Hills on the north and west. It is located about four miles west of Oroville. The forebay conveys generating and pumping flows between the Thermalito Power Canal and the Thermalito Powerplant, provides regulatory storage, and serves as a recreational area.
The Thermalito Afterbay is a significantly larger reservoir than the Forebay and is located just two miles southwest of its tail end. The Afterbay provides storage for the water required by the pumpback operation to Lake Oroville, helps regulate the power system, and produces a controlled flow in the Feather River downstream from the Oroville-Thermalito facilities. The Thermalito Afterbay Dam has the longest crest in the California State Water Project system.
The Oroville-Thermalito Complex serves as a regional water conveyance and storage system and is the headwaters for the California Department of Water Resources' State Water Project. The complex is one of the largest publicly built and operated water and power development and conveyance systems. All reservoirs and canals combined store about 3,620,000 acre-feet when at maximum capacity and generate power from releases made through the Hyatt Powerplant and two other generating plants in nearby Thermalito.
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California's electrical grid
California has some of the most ambitious renewable energy goals in the United States. The state is required to obtain at least 33% of its electricity from renewable resources by 2020 and 50% by 2030, excluding large-scale hydropower projects. In 2024, California produced 57% of its in-state electricity generation from renewables, with the remaining in-state generation being 35% from natural gas and the rest from nuclear.
The California electric grid is a complex network of power plants, transmission lines, and distribution systems that provide electricity to the state's residents and businesses. The grid is managed by the California Independent System Operator (CAISO), which is responsible for overseeing the flow of electricity, operating a competitive wholesale energy market, and managing transmission planning. CAISO also ensures the grid's reliability and stability, manages the balance between supply and demand, and sets technical and operational requirements for energy providers.
The state has a large number of power plants, with over 1,500 in operation as of 2018, and a total generation capacity of 80 GW. California's electricity rates are among the highest in the US, due in part to the changing energy mix within the state, including the construction of new natural gas power plants. As of 2021, California's electricity costs were 19.7 cents per kWh. Due to high electricity demand and a lack of local power plants, California imports more electricity than any other state, with 32% of its consumption in 2018 coming from other states.
The state's energy mix includes nuclear, coal, natural gas, hydropower, wind, and solar. In recent years, there has been a significant increase in renewable energy generation, particularly solar. The Oroville-Thermalito Complex, for example, generates electricity from water released into the Feather River, which also helps maintain fish habitats. The complex serves as a regional water conveyance and storage system and is the headwaters for the California Department of Water Resources' State Water Project.
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Frequently asked questions
Thermalito is located in California and is part of the state's water project, so it likely provides electricity to California.
The Thermalito Plant produces electricity by transferring water from the Thermalito Forebay to the Thermalito Afterbay through four generating units.
Together, the four units can produce up to 118 megawatts of electricity, enough to power roughly 100,000 households.
The Afterbay provides storage for the water required by the pumpback operation to Lake Oroville, helps regulate the power system, and produces a controlled flow in the Feather River downstream.
The Thermalito Water and Sewer District is a company that operates in the Energy, Utilities & Waste industry and is headquartered in Oroville, California.











































