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Kenyir

Hydro power plant in Terengganu, Malaysia. Approximate location 5.0229, 102.9109.

HydroTerengganuMalaysiaconventional storage

Kenyir is a 400 MW hydro power station in Terengganu, Malaysia. It is operated by Tenaga Nasional Bhd [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 400k homes (estimated). It ranks #36 of 82 Malaysia power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1985, it is around 41 years old — long-established. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 17.5% of Malaysia's electricity; the national grid averages 602 gCO₂/kWh (20.7% low-carbon) (2025).

400Source-backed capacity
400,457homes powered (est.)
1985commissioned (~41 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1000239.

Data status

Known data

FacilityKenyir WRI
CountryMalaysia · Terengganu WRI
Coordinates5.0229, 102.9109 WRI
FuelHydro WRI
MW installed capacity400 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerTenaga Nasional Bhd [100%] WRI
Commissioned1985 WRI
Technologyconventional storage WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#36 of 82 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#2 of 9 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers3.33× · 120 MW median · 9 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent400,457 calculated
Climate23.8°C · HDD 0 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC5 · 47/100 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 L100000602451); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 400 MW, Kenyir is well above the median hydro plant in Malaysia (120 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 Malaysia

Pergau: 600 MW600PergauKenyir: 400 MW400KenyirTemenggor: 348 MW348TemenggorHulu Terengganu: 265 MW265Hulu Teren…Kenering: 120 MW120KeneringBatang Al: 108 MW108Batang AlTenom Pangi: 73 MW73Tenom PangiBersia: 72 MW72Bersia

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

Owner

Operated by Tenaga Nasional Bhd [100%].

Local climate & thermal context

This hydro plant converts the energy of falling or flowing water through hydro turbines. It sits in a tropical rainforest climate (Köppen Af) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 5.0°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

23.8°Cannual mean temp
0heating degree-days (base 18°C)
2,106cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
515 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 22 °CJF: 23 °CFM: 24 °CMA: 24 °CAM: 25 °CMJ: 24 °CJJ: 24 °CJA: 24 °CAS: 24 °CSO: 24 °CON: 24 °CND: 23 °CD25 °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 an aggressive, high-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C5 — Very high), with marine salt corrosion the leading environmental stress.

C5ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
47/100environmental-severity index
2.7°Cseasonal temperature swing
45 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 #2 largest hydro power plant of 9 in Malaysia by capacity.

Malaysia has 9 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 2,040 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 5.0229, 102.9109 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Kenyir?

Kenyir is a 400 MW source-record hydro power plant in Terengganu, Malaysia, commissioned in 1985.

How many homes can Kenyir power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 400,457 homes (estimated).

Who operates Kenyir?

Kenyir is operated by Tenaga Nasional Bhd [100%].

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