Cahora Bassa — Mozambique
Hydro power plant in Tete, Mozambique. Approximate location -15.5859, 32.7047.
HydroTeteMozambiqueconventional storage
Cahora Bassa is a 2,075 MW hydro power station in Tete, Mozambique. It is operated by Hidroeléctrica de Cahora Bassa (HCB). Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 2.1 million homes (estimated). It ranks #1 of 22 Mozambique power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1974, it is around 52 years old — an older, legacy facility. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 82.4% of Mozambique's electricity; the national grid averages 129 gCO₂/kWh (83.4% low-carbon) (2024).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1000110.
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
Source of the capacity and fuel values:
capacity: GEM · 2026 · L100000602508; fuel: WRI GPPD
In context: how this plant compares
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.
Key facts
- Share of Mozambique hydro capacity
- 90.8% of 2,285 MW across 3 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 1 of 3 dated hydro plants in Mozambique is older
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 Mozambique
Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Owner
Operated by Hidroeléctrica de Cahora Bassa (HCB).
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 15.6°S — 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 a benign, low-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C1 — Very low), with dust abrasion 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 #1 largest hydro power plant of 3 in Mozambique by capacity.
Mozambique has 3 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 2,285 MW of capacity.
Nearby power plants
- Ncondezi power station · Coal · 1,800 MW · Tete
- Benga power station (ICVL) · Coal · 1,700 MW · Tete
- Benga power station (Kibo Energy) · Coal · 300 MW · Tete
- Chitima power station · Coal · 600 MW · Tete
- Jindal Tete power station · Coal · 150 MW · Tete
- Tete power station · Coal · 700 MW · Tete
Location
Coordinates -15.5859, 32.7047 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Cahora Bassa?
Cahora Bassa is a 2,075 MW hydro power plant in Tete, Mozambique, commissioned in 1974.
Who operates Cahora Bassa?
Cahora Bassa is operated by Hidroeléctrica de Cahora Bassa (HCB).