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Lupohlo

Hydro power plant in Hhohho, Swaziland. Approximate location -26.3763, 31.1552.

HydroHhohhoSwaziland

Lupohlo is a 21 MW hydro power plant in Hhohho, Swaziland. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 20,823 homes (estimated). It ranks #1 of 6 Swaziland power plants by installed capacity. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 57.4% of Swaziland's electricity; the national grid averages 131 gCO₂/kWh (96.7% low-carbon) (2024).

21MW installed capacity
20,823homes powered (est.)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1023187.

Capacity vs largest hydro plants in Swaziland

Lupohlo: 21 MW21LupohloEdwaleni: 15 MW15EdwaleniMaguga Dam: 15 MW15Maguga Dam

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

Local climate & thermal context

This hydro plant converts the energy of falling or flowing water through hydro turbines. It sits in a subtropical highland climate (Köppen Cwb) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 26.4°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

19.9°Cannual mean temp
135heating degree-days (base 18°C)
837cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
857 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 23 °CJF: 23 °CFM: 22 °CMA: 20 °CAM: 18 °CMJ: 16 °CJJ: 16 °CJA: 18 °CAS: 19 °CSO: 20 °CON: 21 °CND: 22 °CD23 °C

Heating degree-days here run 95% 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: 16/100 — this site sits in the bottom third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

In colder climates, uninsulated hot equipment (boilers, turbines, valves, steam lines) loses proportionally more heat to ambient air — exactly the loss Inzonex modular insulation is designed to cut.

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.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #1 largest hydro power plant of 3 in Swaziland by capacity.

Swaziland has 3 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 51 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates -26.3763, 31.1552 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

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