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Chicamba

Hydro power plant in Manica, Mozambique. Approximate location -19.1557, 33.145.

HydroManicaMozambique

Chicamba is a 44 MW hydro power plant in Manica, Mozambique. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 44,050 homes (estimated). It ranks #3 of 3 Mozambique power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1959, it is around 67 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).

44MW installed capacity
44,050homes powered (est.)
1959commissioned (~67 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1000111.

Capacity vs largest hydro plants in Mozambique

Cahora Bassa: 2,075 MW2kCahora Bas…Corumana: 166 MW166CorumanaChicamba: 44 MW44Chicamba

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 humid subtropical (dry winter) climate (Köppen Cwa) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 19.2°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

21.9°Cannual mean temp
24heating degree-days (base 18°C)
1,447cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
625 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 24 °CJF: 24 °CFM: 24 °CMA: 22 °CAM: 20 °CMJ: 18 °CJJ: 17 °CJA: 19 °CAS: 22 °CSO: 24 °CON: 24 °CND: 24 °CD24 °C

Heating degree-days here run 99% 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: 13/100 — this site sits in the bottom 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.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #3 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.

Location

Coordinates -19.1557, 33.145 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

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