Longtan is a 4,900 MW hydro power station in Guangxi Zhuangzu Zizhiqu, China. It is operated by Longtan Hydropower Development Co. Ltd.. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 4.9 million homes (estimated). It ranks #59 of 6,685 China power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2009, it is around 17 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).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1000455.
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 4,900 MW for Longtan 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
Source of the capacity and fuel values:
capacity: GEM · 2026 · L100000600980; fuel: WRI GPPD
In context: how this plant compares
At 4,900 MW, Longtan 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.
Key facts
- Share of China hydro capacity
- 1.9% of 262,337 MW across 947 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 182 of 381 dated hydro plants in China 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 China
Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Owner
Operated by Longtan Hydropower Development Co. Ltd..
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 25.0°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 52% 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: 28/100 — 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
This site sits in a mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — Low), with humidity / wetness 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 947 in China by capacity.
China has 947 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 262,337 MW of capacity.
Nearby power plants
- Dushan power station · Coal · 300 MW · Guangxi Zhuangzu Zizhiqu
- Rongge Hydro. · Hydro · 90 MW · Guangxi Zhuangzu Zizhiqu
- Lingyun County Haokun · Hydro · 25 MW · Guangxi Zhuangzu Zizhiqu
- Shangjianpo Hydro. · Hydro · 60 MW · Guangxi Zhuangzu Zizhiqu
- Guizhou Huidong · Hydro · 50 MW · Guangxi Zhuangzu Zizhiqu
- Guizhou Luodian power station · Biomass · 15 MW · Guangxi Zhuangzu Zizhiqu
Location
Coordinates 25.0277, 107.0431 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Longtan?
Longtan is a 4,900 MW hydro power plant in Guangxi Zhuangzu Zizhiqu, China, commissioned in 2009.
Who operates Longtan?
Longtan is operated by Longtan Hydropower Development Co. Ltd..