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Awash II

Hydro power plant in Oromiya, Ethiopia. Approximate location 8.3932, 39.352.

HydroOromiyaEthiopiaunknown

Awash II is a 64 MW hydro power plant in Oromiya, Ethiopia. It is operated by Ethiopian Electric Power Corp. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 64k homes (estimated). It ranks #13 of 15 Ethiopia power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1996, it is around 30 years old — long-established. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 96.5% of Ethiopia's electricity; the national grid averages 23 gCO₂/kWh (100.0% low-carbon) (2025).

64Source-backed capacity
64,073homes powered (est.)
1996commissioned (~30 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1000055.

Data status

Known data

FacilityAwash II WRI
CountryEthiopia · Oromiya WRI
Coordinates8.3932, 39.352 WRI
FuelHydro WRI
MW installed capacity64 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerEthiopian Electric Power Corp WRI
Commissioned1996 WRI
Technologyunknown WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#13 of 15 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#10 of 11 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.42× · 153 MW median · 11 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent64,073 calculated
Climate18.2°C · HDD 102 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC2 · 28/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

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/or fuel fields on this page include a source-backed provenance label from GEM, an official registry, Wikidata, OSM, or a cross-source match.

capacity: GEM tracker 2026 (location L100001023024); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 64 MW, Awash II is below the median hydro plant in Ethiopia (153 MW). Technically it is described as unknown. 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.

Capacity vs largest hydro plants in Ethiopia

Gilgel Gibe III: 1,870 MW2kGilgel Gib…Beles: 460 MW460BelesGilgel Gibe II: 420 MW420Gilgel Gib…Tekeze: 300 MW300TekezeGilgel Gibe I: 184 MW184Gilgel Gib…Melka Wekana: 153 MW153Melka Weka…Fincha: 134 MW134FinchaFincha Amerti Nesha: 97 MW97Fincha Ame…

Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by Ethiopian Electric Power Corp.

Local climate & thermal context

This hydro plant converts the energy of falling or flowing water through hydro turbines. It sits in a subtropical highland climate (Köppen Cwb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 8.4°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

18.2°Cannual mean temp
102heating degree-days (base 18°C)
188cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
1,881 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 17 °CJF: 18 °CFM: 19 °CMA: 19 °CAM: 19 °CMJ: 20 °CJJ: 19 °CJA: 18 °CAS: 18 °CSO: 18 °CON: 17 °CND: 17 °CD20 °C

Heating degree-days here run 96% 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: 15/100 — 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)
28/100environmental-severity index
2.9°Cseasonal temperature swing
566 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

The #10 largest hydro power plant of 11 in Ethiopia by capacity.

Ethiopia has 11 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 3,797 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 8.3932, 39.352 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Awash II?

Awash II is a 64 MW source-record hydro power plant in Oromiya, Ethiopia, commissioned in 1996.

How many homes can Awash II power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 64,073 homes (estimated).

Who operates Awash II?

Awash II is operated by Ethiopian Electric Power Corp.

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