CHAMERA-I is a 540 MW hydro power station in Himachal Pradesh, India. It is operated by NHPC Ltd [100%]. Based on reported annual generation of 2,472 GWh, it can supply roughly 706k homes. It ranks #514 of 2,225 India power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1994, it is around 32 years old — long-established. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 8.6% of India's electricity; the national grid averages 670 gCO₂/kWh (26.7% low-carbon) (2025).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id IND0000074.
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 · L100000601836; fuel: WRI GPPD
In context: how this plant compares
At 540 MW, CHAMERA-I is well above the median hydro plant in India (80 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.
Key facts
- Load factor
- 52%, from 2,472 GWh of reported generation; the median for 173 hydro plants in India that report generation is 35%
- Generation trend
- 2,539 GWh in 2014 and 2,472 GWh in 2018 (−3%)
- Highest and lowest year
- 2015: 2,611 GWh; 2016: 2,213 GWh
- Share of India hydro capacity
- 1.2% of 45,527 MW across 233 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 126 of 233 dated hydro plants in India are older
Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).
Reported generation trend
Annual generation (GWh), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Owner
Operated by NHPC Ltd [100%].
Local climate & thermal context
This hydro plant converts the energy of falling or flowing water through hydro turbines. It sits in a subtropical highland climate (Köppen Cwb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 32.6°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 57% 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: 27/100 — 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 mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — Low), 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 #22 largest hydro power plant of 233 in India by capacity.
India has 233 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 45,527 MW of capacity.
Nearby power plants
- SEWA-III · Hydro · 9 MW · Himachal Pradesh
- SEWA-II · Hydro · 120 MW · Himachal Pradesh
- BAIRA SIUL · Hydro · 180 MW · Himachal Pradesh
- CHAMERA II · Hydro · 300 MW · Himachal Pradesh
- CHANJU-I · Hydro · 36 MW · Himachal Pradesh
- RANJIT SAGAR · Hydro · 600 MW · Punjab
Location
Coordinates 32.5966, 75.9857 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is CHAMERA-I?
CHAMERA-I is a 540 MW hydro power plant in Himachal Pradesh, India, commissioned in 1994.
How much electricity does CHAMERA-I generate?
CHAMERA-I generates about 2,472 GWh of electricity per year.
Who operates CHAMERA-I?
CHAMERA-I is operated by NHPC Ltd [100%].