Cam Son is a 4.5 MW hydro power plant in Lang Son, Vietnam. It is operated by Cam Son Hydro Power JSC.. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 4.5k homes (estimated). It ranks #276 of 298 Vietnam power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1973, it is around 53 years old — an older, legacy facility. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 33.0% of Vietnam's electricity; the national grid averages 461 gCO₂/kWh (45.4% low-carbon) (2025).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1030902.
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 4.5 MW, Cam Son is below the median hydro plant in Vietnam (20 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 Vietnam hydro capacity
- less than 0.1% of 17,313 MW across 174 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 3 of 162 dated hydro plants in Vietnam are 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 Vietnam
Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Owner
Operated by Cam Son Hydro Power JSC..
Local climate & thermal context
This hydro plant converts the energy of falling or flowing water through hydro turbines. It sits in a humid subtropical (dry winter) climate (Köppen Cwa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 21.5°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.
Monthly mean temperature
Heating degree-days here run 95% 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: 15/100 — this site sits in the bottom third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.
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 moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with humidity / wetness 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 #152 largest hydro power plant of 174 in Vietnam by capacity.
Vietnam has 174 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 17,313 MW of capacity.
Nearby power plants
- Bao Dai power station · Coal · 600 MW · Bắc Giang
- An Khanh - Bac Giang power station · Coal · 650 MW · Bắc Giang
- Son Dong · Coal · 220 MW · Quang Ninh
- Na Duong · Coal · 100 MW · Lang Son
- Pha Lai 1 · Coal · 440 MW · Bac Giang
- Pha Lai 2 · Coal · 600 MW · Bac Giang
Location
Coordinates 21.5438, 106.5105 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Cam Son?
Cam Son is a 4.5 MW hydro power plant in Lang Son, Vietnam, commissioned in 1973.
Who operates Cam Son?
Cam Son is operated by Cam Son Hydro Power JSC..