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Hemrin Dam

Hydro power plant in Diyala, Iraq. Approximate location 34.1115, 44.9737.

HydroDiyalaIraqconventional storage

Hemrin Dam is a 50 MW hydro power plant in Diyala, Iraq. It is operated by Iraq's Ministry of Water Resources. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 50k homes (estimated). It ranks #87 of 91 Iraq power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1981, it is around 45 years old — long-established. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 1.3% of Iraq's electricity; the national grid averages 683 gCO₂/kWh (1.6% low-carbon) (2024).

50Source-backed capacity
50,057homes powered (est.)
1981commissioned (~45 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1008720.

Data status

Known data

FacilityHemrin Dam WRI
CountryIraq · Diyala WRI
Coordinates34.1115, 44.9737 WRI
FuelHydro WRI
MW installed capacity50 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerIraq's Ministry of Water Resources WRI
Commissioned1981 WRI
Technologyconventional storage WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#87 of 91 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#7 of 8 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.21× · 240 MW median · 8 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent50,057 calculated
Climate23.0°C · HDD 657 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC1 · 46/100 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 L100001023098); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 50 MW, Hemrin Dam is below the median hydro plant in Iraq (240 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 Iraq

Mosul Dam: 1,052 MW1kMosul DamHaditha Dam: 660 MW660Haditha DamDokan Dam: 400 MW400Dokan DamDarbandikhan Dam: 240 MW240Darbandikh…Samarra Barrage: 75 MW75Samarra Ba…Mosul Dam Regulator: 62 MW62Mosul Dam …Hemrin Dam: 50 MW50Hemrin DamAdhaim Dam: 27 MW27Adhaim Dam

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

Owner

Operated by Iraq's Ministry of Water Resources.

Local climate & thermal context

This hydro plant converts the energy of falling or flowing water through hydro turbines. It sits in a hot semi-arid steppe climate (Köppen BSh) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 34.1°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

23.0°Cannual mean temp
657heating degree-days (base 18°C)
2,506cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
110 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 10 °CJF: 12 °CFM: 16 °CMA: 22 °CAM: 28 °CMJ: 33 °CJJ: 35 °CJA: 35 °CAS: 31 °CSO: 25 °CON: 18 °CND: 12 °CD35 °C

Heating degree-days here run 73% 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: 22/100 — 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 benign, low-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C1 — Very low), with dust abrasion the leading environmental stress.

C1ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
46/100environmental-severity index
25.0°Cseasonal temperature swing
571 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 #7 largest hydro power plant of 8 in Iraq by capacity.

Iraq has 8 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 2,566 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 34.1115, 44.9737 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Hemrin Dam?

Hemrin Dam is a 50 MW source-record hydro power plant in Diyala, Iraq, commissioned in 1981.

How many homes can Hemrin Dam power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 50,057 homes (estimated).

Who operates Hemrin Dam?

Hemrin Dam is operated by Iraq's Ministry of Water Resources.

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