NEW MELONES
SubstationCalifornia
At a glance
NEW MELONES is an electric transmission substation in California. It is classified as high-voltage (230 kv) and connects 0 transmission lines. Substation proximity is one of the strongest speed-to-power signals for siting a datacenter — interconnection distance to an energized, high-voltage bus is often the binding constraint on time-to-energization.
Voltage & classification
Ownership
No owner is recorded for the lines that connect here.
Nearby datacenter candidate sites
Scored candidate sites within roughly 25 miles of NEW MELONES, ranked by DC Readiness. Sites this close to an energized substation carry a strong speed-to-power advantage.
| Site | Type | State | County | Voltage | Capacity | Queue wait | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PARKER | Substation-Adjacent | CA | Stanislaus County | 230 kV | 300 MW | 7.6 yrs | 56.1 |
| COTTLE | Substation-Adjacent | CA | Stanislaus County | 230 kV | 300 MW | 7.6 yrs | 55.4 |
| WARNERVILLE | Substation-Adjacent | CA | Stanislaus County | 230 kV | 300 MW | 7.6 yrs | 55.3 |
| MELONES TAP 1 | Substation-Adjacent | CA | Calaveras County | 230 kV | 300 MW | 7.6 yrs | 52.0 |
| CLAUS | Substation-Adjacent | CA | Stanislaus County | 115 kV | 100 MW | 7.6 yrs | 51.8 |
| ELECTRA TAP 2 | Substation-Adjacent | CA | Amador County | 230 kV | 300 MW | 7.6 yrs | 51.8 |
| CLAUS | Substation-Adjacent | CA | Stanislaus County | 115 kV | 100 MW | 7.6 yrs | 51.6 |
| VALLEY SPRINGS | Substation-Adjacent | CA | Calaveras County | 230 kV | 300 MW | 7.6 yrs | 51.4 |
How does NEW MELONES compare with other substations in California?
California has 4,260 substation records in HIFLD, of which 3,003 carry a station name; the rest are unnamed tap points, risers and line ends. 384 named substations in the state are in NEW MELONES's 230–344 kV band (13% of named stations). 44 sit in a higher band. 44 named substations in California operate at 345 kV or above. The highest voltage recorded in the state is 500 kV, and the state median is 69 kV.
How do candidate sites near NEW MELONES score?
The 8 highest-scoring candidate sites within about 25 miles range from 51 to 56 on the 0–100 DC Readiness scale. They fall in Stanislaus County, Calaveras County, Amador County. The California average across 8,490 scored sites is 45.4. 1,573 of those California sites are classed as substation sites (candidate locations generated at an existing substation).
Frequently asked questions
What voltage is NEW MELONES substation?
NEW MELONES has a maximum voltage of 230 kV. That places it in the 230–344 kV band. The median named US substation in this dataset is 115 kV, so NEW MELONES is above the national midpoint.
How many transmission lines connect to NEW MELONES substation?
0 transmission lines terminate at or pass through NEW MELONES in the HIFLD line data.
Where is NEW MELONES substation located?
NEW MELONES is in California at 37.9466, -120.5300. The datacenter candidate sites closest to it are in Stanislaus County, Calaveras County, Amador County.
Are there datacenter candidate sites near NEW MELONES substation?
GridCensus lists at least 8 scored candidate sites within roughly 25 miles of NEW MELONES. The highest-scoring is PARKER at 56/100. Across California, the average DC Readiness score is 45.4.
Other 230 kV substations in California
- NEWARK· 30 lines
- COTTONWOOD· 21 lines
- RIO OSO· 20 lines
- BELLOTA· 19 lines
- ELLIS· 18 lines
- PITTSBURG· 18 lines
- EL CENTRO· 17 lines
- MOORPARK· 17 lines
- All named substations in California· 3,003 stations
- Datacenter candidate sites in California· 8,490 sites
- Brownfield and retired plant sites in California
- Substations by state
About this data
Source: HIFLD Electric Substations and Transmission Lines (U.S. Department of Homeland Security), as published June 29, 2026. See the methodology for how records are matched, cleaned and scored.
Cite as: GridCensus, “NEW MELONES substation, California”, https://gridcensus.com/substations/california/new-melones-947578ed (data as of June 29, 2026).
Dataset updated . Screening estimates derived from public data sources.
Substation attributes are derived from public HIFLD / EIA infrastructure data and may lag real-world upgrades or retirements. Voltage and connected-line counts are screening figures — confirm available capacity and interconnection terms directly with the operating utility and ISO.
Go deeper than the public screen
Every site and score for NEW MELONES substation, California is free to browse. Pro adds Watchtower on 25 sites, alerts when new candidate sites, datacenters or interconnection-queue requests appear in your markets, score and capacity history, and CSV export. Enterprise adds team seats, weekly data files for all 147,272 sites, the REST API and an MCP server for AI tools.