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Longma Dam

Hydro power plant in Yunnan, China. Approximate location 22.8748, 101.6463.

HydroYunnanChinaconventional storage

Longma Dam is a 240 MW hydro power station in Yunnan, China. It is operated by Datang Yunnan Power Generation Co Ltd [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 240k homes (estimated). It ranks #2051 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).

240Source-backed capacity
240,274homes powered (est.)
2007commissioned (~19 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1070912.

Data status

Known data

FacilityLongma Dam WRI
CountryChina · Yunnan WRI
Coordinates22.8748, 101.6463 WRI
FuelHydro WRI
MW installed capacity240 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerDatang Yunnan Power Generation Co Ltd [100%] WRI
Commissioned2007 WRI
Technologyconventional storage WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#2051 of 6685 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#164 of 947 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers10.00× · 24 MW median · 947 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent240,274 calculated
Climate18.6°C · HDD 474 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC2 · 30/100 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 L100000600975); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 240 MW, Longma Dam 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 Datang Yunnan Power Generation 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 humid subtropical (dry winter) climate (Köppen Cwa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 22.9°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

18.6°Cannual mean temp
474heating degree-days (base 18°C)
715cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
1,332 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 13 °CJF: 15 °CFM: 18 °CMA: 20 °CAM: 22 °CMJ: 22 °CJJ: 22 °CJA: 22 °CAS: 21 °CSO: 19 °CON: 16 °CND: 13 °CD22 °C

Heating degree-days here run 81% 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: 20/100 — this site sits in the bottom 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 humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C2ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
30/100environmental-severity index
9.4°Cseasonal temperature swing
586 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 #164 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 22.8748, 101.6463 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Longma Dam?

Longma Dam is a 240 MW source-record hydro power plant in Yunnan, China, commissioned in 2007.

How many homes can Longma Dam power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 240,274 homes (estimated).

Who operates Longma Dam?

Longma Dam is operated by Datang Yunnan Power Generation Co Ltd [100%].

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