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Ighil Emda

Hydro power plant in Setif, Algeria. Approximate location 36.4739, 5.2719.

HydroSetifAlgeriaconventional storage

Ighil Emda is a 24 MW hydro power plant in Setif, Algeria. It is operated by SAFEAGE. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 24k homes (estimated). It ranks #56 of 76 Algeria power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1952, it is around 74 years old — an older, legacy facility. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 0.0% of Algeria's electricity; the national grid averages 633 gCO₂/kWh (1.1% low-carbon) (2024).

24Legacy source-record capacity
24,027homes powered (est.)
1952commissioned (~74 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1023798.

Data status

Known data

FacilityIghil Emda WRI
CountryAlgeria · Setif WRI
Coordinates36.4739, 5.2719 WRI
FuelHydro WRI
MW installed capacity24 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerSAFEAGE WRI
Commissioned1952 WRI
Technologyconventional storage WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#56 of 76 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#1 of 1 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent24,027 calculated
Climate14.2°C · HDD 1,934 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 41/100 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 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

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.

Owner

Operated by SAFEAGE.

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 36.5°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

14.2°Cannual mean temp
1,934heating degree-days (base 18°C)
582cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
964 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 6 °CJF: 6 °CFM: 9 °CMA: 11 °CAM: 16 °CMJ: 21 °CJJ: 25 °CJA: 25 °CAS: 20 °CSO: 16 °CON: 10 °CND: 6 °CD25 °C

Heating degree-days here run 21% 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: 42/100 — 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 corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), with marine corrosion the leading environmental stress.

C4ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
41/100environmental-severity index
19.3°Cseasonal temperature swing
30 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

Algeria has 1 hydro power plant in this dataset, together about 24 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 36.4739, 5.2719 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Ighil Emda?

Ighil Emda is a 24 MW source-record hydro power plant in Setif, Algeria, commissioned in 1952.

How many homes can Ighil Emda power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 24,027 homes (estimated).

Who operates Ighil Emda?

Ighil Emda is operated by SAFEAGE.

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