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Dagangshan

Hydro power plant in Sichuan, China. Approximate location 29.45, 102.22.

HydroSichuanChinaconventional storage

Dagangshan is a 2,600 MW hydro power station in Sichuan, China. It is operated by GD Power Development / China Energy Investment. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 2.6 million homes (estimated). It ranks #199 of 6,685 China power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2017, it is around 9 years old — relatively modern. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 13.2% of China's electricity; the national grid averages 525 gCO₂/kWh (41.7% low-carbon) (2025).

2,600Source-backed capacity
2,602,971homes powered (est.)
2017commissioned (~9 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1061013.

Data status

Known data

FacilityDagangshan WRI
CountryChina · Sichuan WRI
Coordinates29.45, 102.22 WRI
FuelHydro WRI
MW installed capacity2,600 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerGD Power Development / China Energy Investment WRI
Commissioned2017 WRI
Technologyconventional storage WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#199 of 6685 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#17 of 947 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers108.33× · 24 MW median · 947 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent2,602,971 calculated
Climate12.6°C · HDD 2,091 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC2 · 29/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset
CO₂ emissionsnot applicable not applicable

Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.

Data provenance

The capacity and/or fuel fields on this page include a source-backed provenance label from GEM, an official registry, Wikidata, OSM, or a cross-source match.

capacity: GEM tracker 2026 (location L100000600673); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 2,600 MW, Dagangshan is well above the median hydro plant in China (24 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.

Capacity vs largest hydro plants in China

Three Gorges Dam: 22,500 MW22kThree Gorg…Xiluodu: 13,860 MW14kXiluoduBaihetan Dam: 13,050 MW13kBaihetan D…Xiangjiaba: 7,750 MW8kXiangjiabaNuozhadu: 5,850 MW6kNuozhaduLongtan: 4,900 MW5kLongtanJinping II: 4,800 MW5kJinping IIAhai: 4,750 MW5kAhai

Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by GD Power Development / China Energy Investment.

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 29.4°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

12.6°Cannual mean temp
2,091heating degree-days (base 18°C)
145cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
1,883 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 4 °CJF: 6 °CFM: 10 °CMA: 14 °CAM: 17 °CMJ: 18 °CJJ: 20 °CJA: 20 °CAS: 17 °CSO: 13 °CON: 9 °CND: 5 °CD20 °C

Heating degree-days here run 15% 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: 44/100 — 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

For a plant’s outdoor hardware — heat-recovery steam generators (HRSG), expansion joints, valves, flanges and their insulation — the local climate sets how fast unprotected steel and coatings degrade. This site sits in a mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — Low), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C2ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
29/100environmental-severity index
16.7°Cseasonal temperature swing
1047 kmdistance to coast

Higher environmental severity is exactly where protective removable insulation pays back most: a sheltered micro-climate slows corrosion, UV and thermal-cycling damage and extends outdoor hardware service life. This is an indicative site-climate context — not a condition assessment of any specific plant or operator.

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 #17 largest hydro power plant of 947 in China by capacity.

China has 947 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 262,337 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 29.45, 102.22 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Dagangshan?

Dagangshan is a 2,600 MW source-record hydro power plant in Sichuan, China, commissioned in 2017.

How many homes can Dagangshan power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 2,602,971 homes (estimated).

Who operates Dagangshan?

Dagangshan is operated by GD Power Development / China Energy Investment.

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