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Batang Al

Hydro power plant in Sarawak, Malaysia. Approximate location 1.1472, 111.8743.

HydroSarawakMalaysiaconventional storage

Batang Al is a 108 MW hydro power station in Sarawak, Malaysia. It is operated by Sarawak Energy Bhd [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 108k homes (estimated). It ranks #58 of 82 Malaysia power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1985, it is around 41 years old — long-established. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 17.5% of Malaysia's electricity; the national grid averages 602 gCO₂/kWh (20.7% low-carbon) (2025).

108Source-backed capacity
108,123homes powered (est.)
1985commissioned (~41 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1000280.

Data status

Known data

FacilityBatang Al WRI
CountryMalaysia · Sarawak WRI
Coordinates1.1472, 111.8743 WRI
FuelHydro WRI
MW installed capacity108 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerSarawak Energy Bhd [100%] WRI
Commissioned1985 WRI
Technologyconventional storage WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#58 of 82 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#6 of 9 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.90× · 120 MW median · 9 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent108,123 calculated
Climate26.7°C · HDD 0 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 42/100 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 operating-unit sum (location L100000602437); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 108 MW, Batang Al is below the median hydro plant in Malaysia (120 MW). Technically it is described as conventional 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.

Capacity vs largest hydro plants in Malaysia

Pergau: 600 MW600PergauKenyir: 400 MW400KenyirTemenggor: 348 MW348TemenggorHulu Terengganu: 265 MW265Hulu Teren…Kenering: 120 MW120KeneringBatang Al: 108 MW108Batang AlTenom Pangi: 73 MW73Tenom PangiBersia: 72 MW72Bersia

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

Owner

Operated by Sarawak Energy Bhd [100%].

Local climate & thermal context

This hydro plant converts the energy of falling or flowing water through hydro turbines. It sits in a tropical rainforest climate (Köppen Af) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 1.1°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

26.7°Cannual mean temp
0heating degree-days (base 18°C)
3,161cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
78 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 26 °CJF: 26 °CFM: 27 °CMA: 27 °CAM: 27 °CMJ: 27 °CJJ: 27 °CJA: 27 °CAS: 27 °CSO: 26 °CON: 26 °CND: 26 °CD27 °C

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

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 corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C4ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
42/100environmental-severity index
1.1°Cseasonal temperature swing
140 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 #6 largest hydro power plant of 9 in Malaysia by capacity.

Malaysia has 9 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 2,040 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 1.1472, 111.8743 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Batang Al?

Batang Al is a 108 MW source-record hydro power plant in Sarawak, Malaysia, commissioned in 1985.

How many homes can Batang Al power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 108,123 homes (estimated).

Who operates Batang Al?

Batang Al is operated by Sarawak Energy Bhd [100%].

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