Hydro power plant in Orange Free State, South Africa. Approximate location -28.217, 28.3631.
HydroOrange Free StateSouth Africa
Bethlehem Hydro is a 7 MW hydro power plant in Orange Free State, South Africa. It is operated by Bethlehem Hydro Proprietary Limited. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 7,008 homes (estimated). It ranks #112 of 122 South Africa power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2009, it is around 17 years old — relatively modern. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 0.8% of South Africa's electricity; the national grid averages 699 gCO₂/kWh (17.8% low-carbon) (2025).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1026016.
Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Operated by Bethlehem Hydro Proprietary Limited.
This hydro plant converts the energy of falling or flowing water through hydro turbines. It sits in a subtropical highland climate (Köppen Cwb) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 28.2°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.
Monthly mean temperature
Heating degree-days here run 38% 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: 35/100 — this site sits in the mid third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.
In colder climates, uninsulated hot equipment (boilers, turbines, valves, steam lines) loses proportionally more heat to ambient air — exactly the loss Inzonex modular insulation is designed to cut.
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.
The #6 largest hydro power plant of 6 in South Africa by capacity.
South Africa has 6 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 2,020 MW of capacity.
Coordinates -28.217, 28.3631 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
