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Elborj

Hydro power plant in Doukkala-Abda, Morocco. Approximate location 33.1545, -8.115.

HydroDoukkala-AbdaMorocco

Elborj is a 22 MW hydro power plant in Doukkala-Abda, Morocco. It is operated by Office National de l’Electricité (ONE). Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 22k homes (estimated). It ranks #45 of 52 Morocco power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2010, it is around 16 years old — relatively modern. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 2.0% of Morocco's electricity; the national grid averages 596 gCO₂/kWh (24.0% low-carbon) (2025).

22Legacy source-record capacity
22,025homes powered (est.)
2010commissioned (~16 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1023692.

Data status

Known data

FacilityElborj WRI
CountryMorocco · Doukkala-Abda WRI
Coordinates33.1545, -8.115 WRI
FuelHydro WRI
MW installed capacity22 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerOffice National de l’Electricité (ONE) WRI
Commissioned2010 WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#45 of 52 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#13 of 18 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.54× · 41 MW median · 18 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent22,025 calculated
Climate18.1°C · HDD 709 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 43/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

TechnologyNot available not in dataset
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 fuel fields on this page are source-record values from the upstream open dataset. They are useful for identification and ranking, but they have not been upgraded to a 2026 registry/GEM-location verified value.

capacity: WRI Global Power Plant Database source-record (legacy); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 22 MW, Elborj is below the median hydro plant in Morocco (41 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.

Capacity vs largest hydro plants in Morocco

STEP UR1 *: 466 MW466STEP UR1 *Al wahda: 240 MW240Al wahdaAllal Al Fassi: 240 MW240Allal Al F…BINE EL OUIDANE: 135 MW135BINE EL OU…ALMASSIRA: 128 MW128ALMASSIRAA. EL HANSALI: 92 MW92A. EL HANS…AFOURER: 92 MW92AFOURERHASSAN 1ER: 67 MW67HASSAN 1ER

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

Owner

Operated by Office National de l’Electricité (ONE). All plants by this company →

Local climate & thermal context

This hydro plant converts the energy of falling or flowing water through hydro turbines. It sits in a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 33.2°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

18.1°Cannual mean temp
709heating degree-days (base 18°C)
763cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
148 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 12 °CJF: 13 °CFM: 15 °CMA: 16 °CAM: 19 °CMJ: 22 °CJJ: 24 °CJA: 25 °CAS: 23 °CSO: 20 °CON: 16 °CND: 13 °CD25 °C

Heating degree-days here run 71% 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: 23/100 — 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

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 corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), with marine corrosion the leading environmental stress.

C4ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
43/100environmental-severity index
13.2°Cseasonal temperature swing
39 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 #13 largest hydro power plant of 18 in Morocco by capacity.

Morocco has 18 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 1,678 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 33.1545, -8.115 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Elborj?

Elborj is a 22 MW source-record hydro power plant in Doukkala-Abda, Morocco, commissioned in 2010.

How many homes can Elborj power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 22,025 homes (estimated).

Who operates Elborj?

Elborj is operated by Office National de l’Electricité (ONE).

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