OCOTILLO EXPRESS (CAISO-493) — Project Summary

Queue ID
CAISO-493
Capacity
504.429 MW
Technology
Wind+Battery
Status
active
Location
Imperial, CA
Region
CAISO
Developer
—
IA Status
IA Executed

OCOTILLO EXPRESS

CAISO-493BetaActiveWindBatteryCAISOLBNL + Live

504.429 MW hybrid in Imperial, CA · In queue since July 2009 · Proposed COD May 2030

BA: CISOISO/RTO: CAISONERC: WECCRC: RCW

504.429 MW

Capacity

2

Components

Wind + Battery

17 years

In Queue

IA Executed

IA Phase

Signed Jun 2012

Status
as of 14y 3m ago
Latest activitytechnology_launchEast County Magazine · 2012-04-24
Interconnection

Queue → IA

2y 11m

IA → COD

17y 11m

Total Duration

2y 11m

Study Phase

C01

Construction75%
Queue EntryJul 31, 2009

Interconnection request submitted to ISO/RTO

Cluster Study (Phase I/II)

CAISO uses cluster studies where projects are batched annually and studied together.

Typical: 36–48 months (IR to IA)

Interconnection AgreementJun 13, 2012

Interconnection agreement executed — binding commitment to build

Typical: 30–60 days (negotiation)

ConstructionCurrent

Project under construction

Typical: 24–36 months

Commercial Operation

Proposed COD: 2030-05-31

Cross-source intelligence
Beta
High confidence·6 sources·as of 2026-06-01
Expected COD
Dec 2012
Queue date 3+ years staleQueue: 2030-05-31
Developer
Pattern Energy
Filed as Ocotillo Express LLC
Status
Online
Online — operational since December 2012, wind-only phase (265 MW). Battery component (239 MW) remains in development with May 2030 target.
Financing
Secured
Wind phase: NADBank project certification October 2012, operational financing complete. Battery phase: financing status unannounced.
Key milestones
Permit approvedApr 2012

Imperial Valley Supervisors approved project despite tribal and environmental opposition

source
IA executedJun 13, 2012

Interconnection Agreement executed with CAISO

source
Financing closeOct 2012

NADBank certification date October 10, 2012

source
COD targetDec 2012Most recent

299 MW Ocotillo Express wind farm became operational December 2012

source
Project lifecycle
as of 2015-01-17
OperationalYesEast County Magazine · 2015-01-17
TechnologyWindEast County Magazine · 2015-01-17
About

The OCOTILLO EXPRESS project is a proposed 265.44 MW wind generation project located in Imperial County, California. The project is interconnected to the CAISO grid under queue ID CAISO-493. Its queue entry date is July 31, 2009, and the proposed commercial operation date is May 31, 2030. An Interconnection Agreement (IA) was executed on June 13, 2012. The point of interconnection (POI) is the Ocotillo Switchyard 500 kV.

The project is linked to the existing Ocotillo Express LLC operating plant (EIA plant ID 57514). The project has also been the subject of recent news coverage.

Generated from interconnection queue and public data sources

CAISO Queue
Development Risk

Realization history for this asset — final cost vs plan, COD slip vs original date, and construction duration vs cohort. Retrospective context for the operating risk view above. Powered by InfraSure's development-stage modeling stack.

Available on the InfraSure platform

See the full development-risk decomposition for this project.

Final cost vs plan
COD vs original date
Construction duration vs cohort
Project Details

State

CA

County

Imperial

Grid Region

CAISO (California)

Market

ISO/RTO Member

Developer

—

Utility

SDGE

Entity

CAISO

Service Type

NRIS

Point of Interconnection

Ocotillo Switchyard 500 kV

Data Source

LBNL + Live

AgencyImperial Valley SupervisorsEast County Magazine · 2012-04-30
RulingApprovalEast County Magazine · 2012-04-30
Risk Analytics

Composite operating risk view for this asset — climate hazards across its remaining operating life, observed generation variability, and offtake counterparty exposure, decomposed into a single decision-grade score. Powered by InfraRisk.

Available on the InfraSure platform

See the full risk decomposition + scenarios for this project.

Climate hazards (8+)
Generation variability (P10/P50/P90)
Offtake + transmission counterparty
Technology
Wind265.44 MW · 53%
Battery238.989 MW · 47%
Generation Forecast

Forward generation outlook — 10-year P50 trajectory accounting for degradation, observed curtailment, and market conditions, with probabilistic ranges (P10/P50/P90) across weather, demand, and policy scenarios. Powered by InfraSure's generation modeling stack.

Available on the InfraSure platform

See the full forecast + scenario decomposition for this project.

10-year P50 forecast
Degradation-adjusted CF
Weather + policy scenarios
Financial Forecast

Forward revenue, DSCR bands, and refinancing risk for this asset — 10-year cashflow projected under price, demand, and policy scenarios. Powered by InfraSure's asset cashflow stack.

Available on the InfraSure platform

See the full revenue + DSCR projection for this project.

10-year cashflow horizon
P10 / P50 / P90 DSCR bands
Price + demand + policy scenarios
Market Context
Approximate
ISO / RTO
CAISO
Trading Hub
TH_SP15_GEN-APND
Hub Confidence
MEDIUM
Nearest Node (Estimated)
C4931_6_N003

This project's market context is estimated from its Point of Interconnection. Hub and node assignments are approximate and based on geographic inference from the POI substation name.

Insights & Articles (6)Beta

Last updated 2026-03-26

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Forward forecasts, scenario decomposition, and risk-decision tooling for this queue project.