Built in 1899, the Farad plant was the oldest of the four hydroelectric plants on the Truckee River and was constructed to provide electricity to the Comstock mines and Reno. In the early 1900s, the Truckee River hydroelectric plants were the sole source of electricity for Reno and Sparks. The Farad plant produced 1,400 horsepower and was the first hydroelectric plant on the east side of the Sierra.