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Kangyang

Hydro power plant in Qinghai Sheng, China. Approximate location 36.06, 101.95.

HydroQinghai ShengChinaconventional storage

Kangyang is a 285 MW hydro power station in Qinghai Sheng, China. It is operated by Qinghai Sanjiang Hydropower Development Co Ltd [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 285k homes (estimated). It ranks #1932 of 6,685 China power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2007, it is around 19 years old — relatively modern. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 13.2% of China's electricity; the national grid averages 525 gCO₂/kWh (41.7% low-carbon) (2025).

285Source-backed capacity
285,225homes powered (est.)
2007commissioned (~19 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1000601.

Data status

Known data

FacilityKangyang WRI
CountryChina · Qinghai Sheng WRI
Coordinates36.06, 101.95 WRI
FuelHydro WRI
MW installed capacity285 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerQinghai Sanjiang Hydropower Development Co Ltd [100%] WRI
Commissioned2007 WRI
Technologyconventional storage WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#1932 of 6685 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#148 of 947 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers11.87× · 24 MW median · 947 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent285,225 calculated
Climate5.5°C · HDD 4,561 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC2 · 28/100 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 L100000600912); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 285 MW, Kangyang is well above the median hydro plant in China (24 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 China

Three Gorges Dam: 22,500 MW22kThree Gorg…Xiluodu: 13,860 MW14kXiluoduBaihetan Dam: 13,050 MW13kBaihetan D…Xiangjiaba: 7,750 MW8kXiangjiabaNuozhadu: 5,850 MW6kNuozhaduLongtan: 4,900 MW5kLongtanJinping II: 4,800 MW5kJinping IIAhai: 4,750 MW5kAhai

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

Owner

Operated by Qinghai Sanjiang Hydropower Development Co Ltd [100%].

Local climate & thermal context

This hydro plant converts the energy of falling or flowing water through hydro turbines. It sits in a monsoon subarctic climate (Köppen Dwc) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 36.1°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

5.5°Cannual mean temp
4,561heating degree-days (base 18°C)
0cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
2,497 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -8 °CJF: -4 °CFM: 1 °CMA: 7 °CAM: 11 °CMJ: 14 °CJJ: 16 °CJA: 16 °CAS: 12 °CSO: 6 °CON: -1 °CND: -6 °CD16 °C

Heating degree-days here run 86% above 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: 91/100 — this site sits in the top 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 mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — Low), with thermal cycling the leading environmental stress.

C2ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
28/100environmental-severity index
24.1°Cseasonal temperature swing
9999 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 #148 largest hydro power plant of 947 in China by capacity.

China has 947 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 262,337 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 36.06, 101.95 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Kangyang?

Kangyang is a 285 MW source-record hydro power plant in Qinghai Sheng, China, commissioned in 2007.

How many homes can Kangyang power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 285,225 homes (estimated).

Who operates Kangyang?

Kangyang is operated by Qinghai Sanjiang Hydropower Development Co Ltd [100%].

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