Hydroelectric Power Plants in Colorado
Every operating hydroelectric power plant in Colorado on EIA-860M for 2026-07: 47 plants, 66 generating units and 688 MW of nameplate capacity across 23 counties.
As of 2026-07 (inventory dated 2026-07-31) · EIA-860M Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory · eia.gov/…/july_generator2026.xlsx · eia.gov/…/eia860m
- Plants
- 47
- 66 generating units
- Nameplate capacity
- 688 MW
- Counties
- 23
- Grid operator
- Mixed
- no single ISO covers a majority
Map of hydroelectric power plants in Colorado
Every one of the 47 plants is drawn at the coordinate EIA files for it.
Loading map…
- Hydro · 47
List of hydroelectric power plants in Colorado
Sort by any column. Capacity is nameplate, summed across every generating unit EIA lists at the site.
| Morrow PointConventional Hydroelectric | U S Bureau of Reclamation | Montrose | 173.2 | 2 | 1970 | Operating |
| Flatiron2 technologies | U S Bureau of Reclamation | Larimer | 94.5 | 3 | 1954 | Operating |
| Blue MesaConventional Hydroelectric | U S Bureau of Reclamation | Gunnison | 86.4 | 2 | 1967 | Operating |
| EstesConventional Hydroelectric | U S Bureau of Reclamation | Larimer | 45 | 3 | 1950 | Operating |
| Pole HillConventional Hydroelectric | U S Bureau of Reclamation | Larimer | 38.2 | 1 | 1954 | Operating |
| CrystalConventional Hydroelectric | U S Bureau of Reclamation | Montrose | 28 | 1 | 1978 | Operating |
| TeslaConventional Hydroelectric | City of Colorado Springs - (CO) | El Paso | 26.6 | 1 | 1997 | Operating |
| Green MountainConventional Hydroelectric | U S Bureau of Reclamation | Summit | 26 | 2 | 1943 | Operating |
| Shoshone (CO)Conventional Hydroelectric | Public Service Co of Colorado | Garfield | 14.4 | 2 | 1909 | Operating |
| TowaocConventional Hydroelectric | U S Bureau of Reclamation | Montezuma | 11.4 | 1 | 1993 | Operating |
| Upper MolinaConventional Hydroelectric | U S Bureau of Reclamation | Mesa | 9.9 | 1 | 1962 | Operating |
| Marys LakeConventional Hydroelectric | U S Bureau of Reclamation | Larimer | 8.1 | 1 | 1951 | Operating |
| Gross Hydro PlantConventional Hydroelectric | Denver City & County of - (CO) | Jefferson | 8 | 2 | 2007 | Operating |
| Tri-County Water Hydropower ProjectConventional Hydroelectric | Tri-County Water Conservancy District | Ouray | 8 | 2 | 2014 | Operating |
| James W. Broderick Hydropower PlantConventional Hydroelectric | James W. Broderick Hydropower Plant | Pueblo | 7.5 | 2 | 2019 | Operating |
| Vallecito HydroelectricConventional Hydroelectric | Ptarmigan Res & Engy Inc | La Plata | 5.8 | 3 | 1989 | Operating |
| Manitou SpringsConventional Hydroelectric | City of Colorado Springs - (CO) | El Paso | 5.6 | 3 | 1927 | Operating |
| Lower MolinaConventional Hydroelectric | U S Bureau of Reclamation | Mesa | 5.6 | 1 | 1962 | Operating |
| North Fork Hydro PlantConventional Hydroelectric | Denver City & County of - (CO) | Park | 5.5 | 1 | 1988 | Operating |
| Boulder Canyon HydroConventional Hydroelectric | Boulder, City of - (CO) | Boulder | 5 | 1 | 2013 | Operating |
| BasaltConventional Hydroelectric | City of Aspen- (CO) | Eagle | 5 | 1 | 1985 | Operating |
| Shavano Falls Hydro Drop 4Conventional Hydroelectric | Shavano Falls Hydro LLC - Drop 4 Project | Montrose | 4.8 | 1 | 2015 | Operating |
| TacomaConventional Hydroelectric | Public Service Co of Colorado | La Plata | 4.6 | 2 | 1905 | Operating |
| Big ThompsonConventional Hydroelectric | U S Bureau of Reclamation | Larimer | 4.5 | 1 | 1959 | Operating |
| Vinelands Power PlantConventional Hydroelectric | Grand Valley Power LLC | Mesa | 4.5 | 1 | 2022 | Operating |
| South Canal Hydro-1Conventional Hydroelectric | Delta-Montrose Electric Association | Montrose | 4 | 1 | 2013 | Operating |
| Ames HydroConventional Hydroelectric | Public Service Co of Colorado | San Miguel | 3.6 | 1 | 1906 | Operating |
| Williams Fork Hydro PlantConventional Hydroelectric | Denver City & County of - (CO) | Grand | 3.5 | 2 | 1959 | Operating |
| Boulder City Lakewood HydroConventional Hydroelectric | Boulder, City of - (CO) | Boulder | 3.5 | 1 | 2004 | Operating |
| South Canal Hydro-3Conventional Hydroelectric | Delta-Montrose Electric Association | Montrose | 3.5 | 1 | 2013 | Operating |
| Boulder City Silver Lake HydroConventional Hydroelectric | Boulder, City of - (CO) | Boulder | 3.3 | 1 | 2000 | Operating |
| Foothills Hydro PlantConventional Hydroelectric | Denver City & County-Foothills - (CO) | Douglas | 3.1 | 1 | 1985 | Operating |
| Boulder City Betasso Hydro PlantConventional Hydroelectric | Boulder, City of - (CO) | Boulder | 3 | 1 | 1987 | Operating |
| Shavano Falls HydroConventional Hydroelectric | Shavano Falls Hydro LLC | Montrose | 2.8 | 1 | 2015 | Operating |
| Carter HydroConventional Hydroelectric | Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District | Larimer | 2.6 | 2 | 2012 | Operating |
| Sugarloaf Hydro PlantConventional Hydroelectric | Eagle Creek Renewable Energy, LLC | Lake | 2.5 | 1 | 1985 | Operating |
| Drop 5 (CO)Conventional Hydroelectric | Drop 5 Hydro LLC | Montrose | 2.4 | 1 | 2017 | Operating |
| Taylor Draw Hydroelectric FacilityConventional Hydroelectric | Rio Blanco Water Conserv Dist | Rio Blanco | 2.3 | 1 | 1993 | Operating |
| Hillcrest Pump StationConventional Hydroelectric | Denver City & County of - (CO) | Denver | 2 | 1 | 1993 | Operating |
| Dillon Hydro PlantConventional Hydroelectric | Denver City & County of - (CO) | Summit | 1.8 | 1 | 1987 | Operating |
| Redlands Water & PowerConventional Hydroelectric | Redlands Water & Power Company | Mesa | 1.4 | 1 | 1931 | Operating |
| Georgetown HydroConventional Hydroelectric | Public Service Co of Colorado | Clear Creek | 1.2 | 2 | 1906 | Operating |
| McPheeConventional Hydroelectric | U S Bureau of Reclamation | Montezuma | 1.2 | 1 | 1992 | Operating |
| Granby HydroConventional Hydroelectric | Northern Water Hydropower Enterprise | Grand | 1.2 | 1 | 2016 | Operating |
| Ruxton ParkConventional Hydroelectric | City of Colorado Springs - (CO) | El Paso | 1 | 1 | 1925 | Operating |
| Strontia Springs Hydro PlantConventional Hydroelectric | Denver City & County of - (CO) | Douglas | 1 | 1 | 1986 | Operating |
| SalidaConventional Hydroelectric | Public Service Co of Colorado | Chaffee | 0.6 | 1 | 1908 | Operating |
Largest hydroelectric power plants in Colorado
- 1Morrow PointMontrose County, Colorado173.2 MW
- 2FlatironLarimer County, Colorado94.5 MW
- 3Blue MesaGunnison County, Colorado86.4 MW
- 4EstesLarimer County, Colorado45 MW
- 5Pole HillLarimer County, Colorado38.2 MW
- 6CrystalMontrose County, Colorado28 MW
- 7TeslaEl Paso County, Colorado26.6 MW
- 8Green MountainSummit County, Colorado26 MW
- 9Shoshone (CO)Garfield County, Colorado14.4 MW
- 10TowaocMontezuma County, Colorado11.4 MW
Hydroelectric power plants by county in Colorado
The county EIA files against each plant. It is the fastest way to find the plant nearest a given town.
| County | Plants | Nameplate MW |
|---|---|---|
| Montrose | 7 | 218.7 |
| Larimer | 6 | 192.9 |
| Gunnison | 1 | 86.4 |
| El Paso | 3 | 33.2 |
| Summit | 2 | 27.8 |
| Mesa | 4 | 21.4 |
| Boulder | 4 | 14.8 |
| Garfield | 1 | 14.4 |
| Montezuma | 2 | 12.6 |
| La Plata | 2 | 10.4 |
| Jefferson | 1 | 8 |
| Ouray | 1 | 8 |
| Pueblo | 1 | 7.5 |
| Park | 1 | 5.5 |
| Eagle | 1 | 5 |
| Grand | 2 | 4.7 |
| Douglas | 2 | 4.1 |
| San Miguel | 1 | 3.6 |
| Lake | 1 | 2.5 |
| Rio Blanco | 1 | 2.3 |
| Denver | 1 | 2 |
| Clear Creek | 1 | 1.2 |
| Chaffee | 1 | 0.6 |
Hydroelectric Power Plants in Colorado: FAQ
- How many hydroelectric power plants are in Colorado?
- 47, with 688 MW of nameplate capacity between them, spread over 23 counties. That is the EIA-860M operating count for 2026-07.
- Is there a map of Colorado hydroelectric power plants?
- Yes — the map above. Each dot is one hydroelectric power plant, sized by nameplate capacity and placed at the coordinates EIA files for it.
- Which is the largest hydroelectric power plant in Colorado?
- Morrow Point, at 173 MW. The table is sorted largest first, so the rest follow it.
- Is there a hydroelectric power plant near me in Colorado?
- The county roll-up below groups every plant by county, which is the quickest way to find the one closest to a given town.
- Which grid operator runs Colorado's hydroelectric power plants?
- No single ISO or RTO covers most of them. EIA files each plant against its own balancing authority, which in Colorado is largely a vertically integrated utility rather than an organised market.
- How current is this, and what is left out?
- EIA-860M for 2026-07. Conventional hydroelectric. Pumped storage is counted separately. Plants below 1 MW are not surveyed by EIA and so are absent; retirements and additions after 2026-07 arrive with the next monthly release.