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Biopio (hydro)

Hydro power plant in Benguela, Angola. Approximate location -12.4706, 13.7319.

HydroBenguelaAngola

Biopio (hydro) is a 15 MW hydro power plant in Benguela, Angola. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 15k homes (estimated). It ranks #14 of 17 Angola power plants by installed capacity. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 70.6% of Angola's electricity; the national grid averages 185 gCO₂/kWh (73.7% low-carbon) (2024).

15Legacy source-record capacity
14,616homes powered (est.)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1023001.

Data status

Known data

FacilityBiopio (hydro) WRI
CountryAngola · Benguela WRI
Coordinates-12.4706, 13.7319 WRI
FuelHydro WRI
MW installed capacity15 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#14 of 17 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#5 of 5 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.36× · 40 MW median · 5 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent14,616 calculated
Climate22.7°C · HDD 0 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC5 · 56/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

OwnerNot available not in dataset
CommissionedNot available not in dataset
TechnologyNot available not in dataset
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 fuel fields on this page are source-record values from the upstream open dataset. They are useful for identification and ranking, but they have not been upgraded to a 2026 registry/GEM-location verified value.

capacity: WRI Global Power Plant Database source-record (legacy); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 15 MW, Biopio (hydro) is below the median hydro plant in Angola (40 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.

Capacity vs largest hydro plants in Angola

Capanda: 520 MW520CapandaCambambe: 180 MW180CambambeMatala: 40 MW40MatalaRio Luachimo: 16 MW16Rio Luachi…Biopio (hydro): 15 MW15Biopio (hy…

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 hot semi-arid steppe climate (Köppen BSh) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 12.5°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

22.7°Cannual mean temp
0heating degree-days (base 18°C)
1,729cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
531 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 24 °CJF: 24 °CFM: 25 °CMA: 24 °CAM: 23 °CMJ: 20 °CJJ: 20 °CJA: 20 °CAS: 22 °CSO: 23 °CON: 24 °CND: 23 °CD25 °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 an aggressive, high-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C5 — Very high), with marine salt corrosion the leading environmental stress.

C5ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
56/100environmental-severity index
5.2°Cseasonal temperature swing
24 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 #5 largest hydro power plant of 5 in Angola by capacity.

Angola has 5 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 771 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates -12.4706, 13.7319 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Biopio (hydro)?

Biopio (hydro) is a 15 MW source-record hydro power plant in Benguela, Angola.

How many homes can Biopio (hydro) power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 14,616 homes (estimated).

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