Karoune 4 is a 765 MW hydro power station in Chahar Mahall va Bakhtiari, Iran. It is operated by Iran Water and Power Resources Development Company. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 766k homes (estimated). It ranks #60 of 177 Iran 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 3.3% of Iran's electricity; the national grid averages 660 gCO₂/kWh (5.7% low-carbon) (2025).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1029939.
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 1,000 MW for Karun IV 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
Capacity and fuel are the upstream open-dataset record, not yet matched to a 2026 registry or GEM entry.
capacity: WRI GPPD; fuel: WRI GPPD
In context: how this plant compares
At 765 MW, Karoune 4 is well above the median hydro plant in Iran (130 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.
Key facts
- Share of Iran hydro capacity
- 7.1% of 10,818 MW across 19 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 14 of 19 dated hydro plants in Iran are older
Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).
Capacity vs largest hydro plants in Iran
Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Owner
Operated by Iran Water and Power Resources Development Company.
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 31.6°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.
Monthly mean temperature
Heating degree-days here run 37% 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: 35/100 — 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
This site sits in a mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — Low), with thermal cycling 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 #6 largest hydro power plant of 19 in Iran by capacity.
Iran has 19 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 10,818 MW of capacity.
Nearby power plants
- Karoune 3 · Hydro · 2,000 MW · Khuzestan
- Dehdasht Petrochemical Power Plant · Gas · 84 MW · Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad
- Shahid Abbaspuor · Hydro · 2,000 MW · Khuzestan
- Khohrang Dam · Hydro · 39 MW · Chahar Mahall va Bakhtiari
- Ramhormoz Combined Cycle power plant · Gas · 615 MW · Khuzestan
- Behbahan power station · Gas · 824 MW · Khuzestan
Location
Coordinates 31.6001, 50.471 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Karoune 4?
Karoune 4 is a 765 MW hydro power plant in Chahar Mahall va Bakhtiari, Iran, commissioned in 2011.
Who operates Karoune 4?
Karoune 4 is operated by Iran Water and Power Resources Development Company.