KALINADI is a 855 MW hydro power station in Karnataka, India. Based on reported annual generation of 2,764 GWh, it can supply roughly 790k homes. It ranks #422 of 2,225 India 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 8.6% of India's electricity; the national grid averages 670 gCO₂/kWh (26.7% low-carbon) (2025).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id IND0000174.
Data status
Known data
Calculated from dataset
Not available
Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.
Capacity provenance
The public capacity above is the current source-record value. A 2026 tracker candidate lists 100 MW for Kalinadi Supa hydroelectric plant, but it is not used as the public primary value until scope is verified (unit vs operating vs installed/project total).
Data provenance
Source of the capacity and fuel values:
capacity: GEM · 2026 · L100000601901; fuel: WRI GPPD
In context: how this plant compares
At 855 MW, KALINADI is well above the median hydro plant in India (80 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.
Key facts
- Load factor
- 37%, from 2,764 GWh of reported generation; the median for 173 hydro plants in India that report generation is 35%
- Generation trend
- 3,239 GWh in 2014 and 2,764 GWh in 2018 (−15%)
- Highest and lowest year
- 2014: 3,239 GWh; 2016: 1,338 GWh
- Share of India hydro capacity
- 1.9% of 45,527 MW across 233 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 74 of 233 dated hydro plants in India are older
Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).
Reported generation trend
Annual generation (GWh), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Local climate & thermal context
This hydro plant converts the energy of falling or flowing water through hydro turbines. It sits in a tropical savanna climate (Köppen Aw) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 15.3°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.
Monthly mean temperature
This site has effectively no heating season (tropical/equatorial climate), so winter heat loss is not the driver here. The thermal concern shifts to year-round process heat and humidity/heat-driven corrosion of hot equipment.
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 corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), 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 #13 largest hydro power plant of 233 in India by capacity.
India has 233 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 45,527 MW of capacity.
Nearby power plants
- KALINADI SUPA · Hydro · 100 MW · Karnataka
- Dandeli Mill · Gas · 20 MW · Karnataka
- KODASALI · Hydro · 120 MW · Karnataka
- KADRA · Hydro · 150 MW · Karnataka
- Yellapur · Solar · 50 MW · Karnataka
- KAIGA · Nuclear · 880 MW · Karnataka
Location
Coordinates 15.2761, 74.5268 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is KALINADI?
KALINADI is a 855 MW hydro power plant in Karnataka, India, commissioned in 1981.
How much electricity does KALINADI generate?
KALINADI generates about 2,764 GWh of electricity per year.