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Lam Ta Khong

Hydro power plant in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand. Approximate location 14.8073, 101.5453.

HydroNakhon RatchasimaThailandpumped storage

Lam Ta Khong is a 1,000 MW hydro power station in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand. It is operated by Electric Generating Authority of Thailand. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 1.0 million homes (estimated). It ranks #20 of 238 Thailand power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2002, it is around 24 years old — relatively modern. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 4.0% of Thailand's electricity; the national grid averages 546 gCO₂/kWh (16.6% low-carbon) (2025).

1,000Legacy source-record capacity
1,001,142homes powered (est.)
2002commissioned (~24 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1000170.

Data status

Known data

FacilityLam Ta Khong WRI
CountryThailand · Nakhon Ratchasima WRI
Coordinates14.8073, 101.5453 WRI
FuelHydro WRI
MW installed capacity1,000 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerElectric Generating Authority of Thailand WRI
Commissioned2002 WRI
Technologypumped storage WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#20 of 238 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#1 of 10 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers3.33× · 300 MW median · 10 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent1,001,142 calculated
Climate25.6°C · HDD 0 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 35/100 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 fuel fields on this page are source-record values from the upstream open dataset. They are useful for identification and ranking, but they have not been upgraded to a 2026 registry/GEM-location verified value.

capacity: WRI Global Power Plant Database source-record (legacy); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 1,000 MW, Lam Ta Khong is well above the median hydro plant in Thailand (300 MW). Technically it is described as pumped 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 Thailand

Lam Ta Khong: 1,000 MW1kLam Ta Kho…Bhumibol: 950 MW950BhumibolSrinagarind: 720 MW720SrinagarindSirikit: 500 MW500SirikitVajiralongkorn: 300 MW300Vajiralong…Rajjaprabha: 240 MW240RajjaprabhaPak Mun: 136 MW136Pak MunBang Lang: 72 MW72Bang Lang

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

Owner

Operated by Electric Generating Authority of Thailand. All plants by this company →

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 14.8°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

25.6°Cannual mean temp
0heating degree-days (base 18°C)
2,771cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
394 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 22 °CJF: 25 °CFM: 27 °CMA: 28 °CAM: 28 °CMJ: 27 °CJJ: 27 °CJA: 26 °CAS: 26 °CSO: 25 °CON: 23 °CND: 22 °CD28 °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 moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C3ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
35/100environmental-severity index
6.0°Cseasonal temperature swing
250 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 #1 largest hydro power plant of 10 in Thailand by capacity.

Thailand has 10 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 3,994 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 14.8073, 101.5453 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Lam Ta Khong?

Lam Ta Khong is a 1,000 MW source-record hydro power plant in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, commissioned in 2002.

How many homes can Lam Ta Khong power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 1,001,142 homes (estimated).

Who operates Lam Ta Khong?

Lam Ta Khong is operated by Electric Generating Authority of Thailand.

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