Ankang is a 853 MW hydro power station in Shaanxi, China. It is operated by State Grid Shaanxi Electric Power Co Ltd. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 854k homes (estimated). It ranks #1081 of 6,685 China power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1993, it is around 33 years old — long-established. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 13.2% of China's electricity; the national grid averages 525 gCO₂/kWh (41.7% low-carbon) (2025).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1000495.
Data status
Known data
Calculated from dataset
Not available
Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.
Data provenance
Source of the capacity and fuel values:
capacity: GEM · 2026 · L100000600588; fuel: WRI GPPD
In context: how this plant compares
At 853 MW, Ankang is well above the median hydro plant in China (24 MW). Technically it is described as pumped storage. 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.
Key facts
- Share of China hydro capacity
- 0.3% of 262,337 MW across 947 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 51 of 381 dated hydro plants in China are older
Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).
Capacity vs largest hydro plants in China
Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Owner
Operated by State Grid Shaanxi Electric Power Co Ltd.
Local climate & thermal context
This hydro plant converts the energy of falling or flowing water through hydro turbines. It sits in a humid subtropical (dry winter) climate (Köppen Cwa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 32.6°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.
Monthly mean temperature
Heating degree-days here run 23% 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: 41/100 — 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
This site sits in a mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — Low), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.
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 #74 largest hydro power plant of 947 in China by capacity.
China has 947 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 262,337 MW of capacity.
Nearby power plants
- Shaanxi Ankang power station · Biomass · 24 MW · Shaanxi
- Shaanxi Langao Xiangziba · Hydro · 4 MW · Shaanxi
- Shaanxi Tiefo Guanyuanchina · Hydro · 10 MW · Shaanxi
- Dengxinqiao · Hydro · 5 MW · Chongqing Shi
- Guihua Small · Hydro · 12 MW · Chongqing Shi
- Langao Niping · Hydro · 14 MW · Shaanxi
Location
Coordinates 32.6043, 108.8927 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Ankang?
Ankang is a 853 MW hydro power plant in Shaanxi, China, commissioned in 1993.
Who operates Ankang?
Ankang is operated by State Grid Shaanxi Electric Power Co Ltd.