Clyde — New Zealand
Hydro power plant in Otago, New Zealand. Approximate location -45.1793, 169.307.
HydroOtagoNew Zealandconventional storage
Clyde is a 432 MW hydro power station in Otago, New Zealand. It is operated by Contact Energy. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 432k homes (estimated). It ranks #7 of 50 New Zealand power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1992, it is around 34 years old — long-established. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 54.8% of New Zealand's electricity; the national grid averages 93 gCO₂/kWh (88.5% low-carbon) (2025).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1000328.
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 · L100000602821; fuel: WRI GPPD
In context: how this plant compares
At 432 MW, Clyde is well above the median hydro plant in New Zealand (90 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
- Share of New Zealand hydro capacity
- 9.8% of 4,388 MW across 24 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 21 of 23 dated hydro plants in New Zealand 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 New Zealand
Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Owner
Operated by Contact Energy.
Local climate & thermal context
This hydro plant converts the energy of falling or flowing water through hydro turbines. It sits in a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 45.2°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.
Monthly mean temperature
Heating degree-days here run 19% above 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: 60/100 — this site sits in the mid 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 #4 largest hydro power plant of 24 in New Zealand by capacity.
New Zealand has 24 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 4,388 MW of capacity.
Nearby power plants
- Paerau and Patearoa · Hydro · 12 MW · Otago
- Mahinerangi · Wind · 36 MW · Otago
- Waipori · Hydro · 83 MW · Otago
- Benmore · Hydro · 540 MW · Otago
- Aviemore · Hydro · 220 MW · Otago
- Waitaki · Hydro · 90 MW · Otago
Location
Coordinates -45.1793, 169.307 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Clyde?
Clyde is a 432 MW hydro power plant in Otago, New Zealand, commissioned in 1992.
Who operates Clyde?
Clyde is operated by Contact Energy.