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Kamchay

Hydro power plant in Kampot, Cambodia. Approximate location 10.7041, 104.1175.

HydroKampotCambodiaconventional storage

Kamchay is a 194 MW hydro power station in Kampot, Cambodia. It is operated by Sinohydro Corp Ltd [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 194k homes (estimated). It ranks #15 of 27 Cambodia power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2011, it is around 15 years old — relatively modern. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 29.9% of Cambodia's electricity; the national grid averages 499 gCO₂/kWh (40.9% low-carbon) (2025).

194Source-backed capacity
194,221homes powered (est.)
2011commissioned (~15 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1026835.

Data status

Known data

FacilityKamchay WRI
CountryCambodia · Kampot WRI
Coordinates10.7041, 104.1175 WRI
FuelHydro WRI
MW installed capacity194 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerSinohydro Corp Ltd [100%] WRI
Commissioned2011 WRI
Technologyconventional storage WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#15 of 27 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#3 of 5 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.00× · 194 MW median · 5 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent194,221 calculated
Climate27.4°C · HDD 0 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 42/100 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 operating-unit sum (location L100000600375); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 194 MW, Kamchay is around the median hydro plant in Cambodia (194 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 Cambodia

Lower Russei Chrum: 338 MW338Lower Russ…Stung Tatai: 246 MW246Stung TataiKamchay: 194 MW194KamchayStung Atai: 120 MW120Stung AtaiKirirom I: 12 MW12Kirirom I

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

Owner

Operated by Sinohydro Corp Ltd [100%].

Local climate & thermal context

This hydro plant converts the energy of falling or flowing water through hydro turbines. It sits in a tropical monsoon climate (Köppen Am) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 10.7°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

27.4°Cannual mean temp
0heating degree-days (base 18°C)
3,420cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
20 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 26 °CJF: 27 °CFM: 28 °CMA: 29 °CAM: 28 °CMJ: 28 °CJJ: 27 °CJA: 27 °CAS: 27 °CSO: 27 °CON: 27 °CND: 26 °CD29 °C

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

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 humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C4ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
42/100environmental-severity index
2.8°Cseasonal temperature swing
52 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 #3 largest hydro power plant of 5 in Cambodia by capacity.

Cambodia has 5 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 910 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 10.7041, 104.1175 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Kamchay?

Kamchay is a 194 MW source-record hydro power plant in Kampot, Cambodia, commissioned in 2011.

How many homes can Kamchay power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 194,221 homes (estimated).

Who operates Kamchay?

Kamchay is operated by Sinohydro Corp Ltd [100%].

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