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Aluto-Langano

Geothermal power plant in Oromiya, Ethiopia. Approximate location 7.7886, 38.7947.

GeothermalOromiyaEthiopia

Aluto-Langano is a 7 MW geothermal power plant in Oromiya, Ethiopia. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 14k homes (estimated). It ranks #15 of 15 Ethiopia power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2013, it is around 13 years old — relatively modern. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, geothermal supplies about 0.1% of Ethiopia's electricity; the national grid averages 23 gCO₂/kWh (100.0% low-carbon) (2025).

7Legacy source-record capacity
13,703homes powered (est.)
2013commissioned (~13 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1022987.

Data status

Known data

FacilityAluto-Langano WRI
CountryEthiopia · Oromiya WRI
Coordinates7.7886, 38.7947 WRI
FuelGeothermal WRI
MW installed capacity7 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
Commissioned2013 WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#15 of 15 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#1 of 1 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent13,703 calculated
Climate16.3°C · HDD 638 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC2 · 27/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

OwnerNot available not in dataset
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 fuel fields on this page are source-record values from the upstream open dataset. They are useful for identification and ranking, but they have not been upgraded to a 2026 registry/GEM-location verified value.

capacity: WRI Global Power Plant Database source-record (legacy); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

Geothermal plants tap underground heat to raise steam for a turbine; they provide steady, low-carbon baseload but are limited to geologically active regions.

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

Local climate & thermal context

This geothermal plant taps underground heat to raise steam that drives a turbine. It sits in a subtropical highland climate (Köppen Cwb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 7.8°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

16.3°Cannual mean temp
638heating degree-days (base 18°C)
0cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
2,105 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 16 °CJF: 16 °CFM: 17 °CMA: 18 °CAM: 17 °CMJ: 17 °CJJ: 16 °CJA: 16 °CAS: 16 °CSO: 16 °CON: 15 °CND: 15 °CD18 °C

Heating degree-days here run 74% below 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: 22/100 — this site sits in the bottom 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 mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — Low), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C2ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
27/100environmental-severity index
2.9°Cseasonal temperature swing
657 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

Ethiopia has 1 geothermal power plant in this dataset, together about 7 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 7.7886, 38.7947 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Aluto-Langano?

Aluto-Langano is a 7 MW source-record geothermal power plant in Oromiya, Ethiopia, commissioned in 2013.

How many homes can Aluto-Langano power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 13,703 homes (estimated).

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