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Gosselin Hydro Plant

Hydro power plant in California, United States of America. Approximate location 40.37, -123.4347.

HydroCaliforniaUnited States of America

Gosselin Hydro Plant is a 2 MW hydro power plant in California, United States of America. It is operated by Humboldt Bay Mun Water Dist. Based on reported annual generation of 6 GWh, it can supply roughly 1.6k homes. It ranks #8987 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1983, it is around 43 years old — long-established. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 5.3% of United States of America's electricity; the national grid averages 384 gCO₂/kWh (43.0% low-carbon) (2025).

2Source-backed capacity
6GWh reported / yr
1,571homes powered
1983commissioned (~43 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0010128.

Data status

Known data

FacilityGosselin Hydro Plant WRI
CountryUnited States of America · California WRI
Coordinates40.37, -123.4347 WRI
FuelHydro WRI
MW installed capacity2 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerHumboldt Bay Mun Water Dist WRI
Commissioned1983 WRI
GWh reported / yr6 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#8987 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#1193 of 1449 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.25× · 8 MW median · 1449 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent1,571 calculated from reported generation
Climate10.3°C · HDD 2,807 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 27/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

TechnologyNot available not in dataset
GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset
CO₂ emissionsnot applicable not applicable

Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.

Data provenance

The capacity and/or fuel fields on this page include a source-backed provenance label from GEM, an official registry, Wikidata, OSM, or a cross-source match.

capacity: Wikidata P2109 nameplate capacity; fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 2 MW, Gosselin Hydro Plant is below the median hydro plant in United States of America (8 MW). Hydropower converts the energy of falling or flowing water into electricity; output depends on rainfall and reservoir level, and large dams also provide grid balancing and storage.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

Reported generation trend

2013: 4 GWh20132014: 3 GWh20142015: 3 GWh20152016: 6 GWh20162017: 6 GWh20172018: 5 GWh20182019: 6 GWh20196 GWh

Annual generation (GWh), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by Humboldt Bay Mun Water Dist.

Local climate & thermal context

This hydro plant converts the energy of falling or flowing water through hydro turbines. It sits in a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 40.4°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

10.3°Cannual mean temp
2,807heating degree-days (base 18°C)
9cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
1,032 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 5 °CJF: 5 °CFM: 6 °CMA: 7 °CAM: 11 °CMJ: 14 °CJJ: 18 °CJA: 18 °CAS: 16 °CSO: 12 °CON: 7 °CND: 4 °CD18 °C

Heating degree-days here run 14% above the median power plant in this dataset — a proxy for how much extra energy heated equipment must replace through its surfaces in winter.

Climate heat-demand index: 57/100 — this site sits in the mid third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.

Site climate & environmental severity

For a plant’s outdoor hardware — heat-recovery steam generators (HRSG), expansion joints, valves, flanges and their insulation — the local climate sets how fast unprotected steel and coatings degrade. This site sits in a moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C3ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
27/100environmental-severity index
13.9°Cseasonal temperature swing
50 kmdistance to coast

Higher environmental severity is exactly where protective removable insulation pays back most: a sheltered micro-climate slows corrosion, UV and thermal-cycling damage and extends outdoor hardware service life. This is an indicative site-climate context — not a condition assessment of any specific plant or operator.

Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #1193 largest hydro power plant of 1449 in United States of America by capacity.

United States of America has 1449 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 102,513 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 40.37, -123.4347 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Gosselin Hydro Plant?

Gosselin Hydro Plant is a 2 MW source-record hydro power plant in California, United States of America, commissioned in 1983.

How much electricity does Gosselin Hydro Plant generate?

Gosselin Hydro Plant generates about 6 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Gosselin Hydro Plant power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 1,571 homes.

Who operates Gosselin Hydro Plant?

Gosselin Hydro Plant is operated by Humboldt Bay Mun Water Dist.

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