BAKUN — Philippines
Hydro power plant in Ilocos, Philippines. Approximate location 16.8861, 120.5304.
HydroIlocosPhilippines
BAKUN is a 70 MW hydro power plant in Ilocos, Philippines. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 70k homes (estimated). It ranks #111 of 186 Philippines power plants by installed capacity. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 10.3% of Philippines's electricity; the national grid averages 588 gCO₂/kWh (23.3% low-carbon) (2025).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1001904.
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
Capacity and fuel are the upstream open-dataset record, not yet matched to a 2026 registry or GEM entry.
capacity: WRI GPPD; fuel: WRI GPPD
In context: how this plant compares
At 70 MW, BAKUN is below the median hydro plant in Philippines (150 MW). 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 Philippines hydro capacity
- 2.1% of 3,412 MW across 17 plants in this dataset
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 Philippines
Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
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 16.9°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.
Monthly mean temperature
This site has effectively no heating season (tropical/equatorial climate), so winter heat loss is not the driver here. The thermal concern shifts to year-round process heat and humidity/heat-driven corrosion of hot equipment.
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 an aggressive, high-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C5 — Very high), with marine salt corrosion 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 #14 largest hydro power plant of 17 in Philippines by capacity.
Philippines has 17 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 3,412 MW of capacity.
Nearby power plants
- La Union power station · Gas · 1,128 MW · Ilocos
- BAUANG DPP · Oil · 235.2 MW · Ilocos
- AMBUKLAO · Hydro · 105 MW · Cordillera
- BINGA · Hydro · 140 MW · Cordillera
- SAN ROQUE · Hydro · 435 MW · Ilocos
- Sual power station · Coal · 1,294 MW · Ilocos
Location
Coordinates 16.8861, 120.5304 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is BAKUN?
BAKUN is a 70 MW hydro power plant in Ilocos, Philippines.