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Moukoukoulou

Hydro power plant in Bouenza, Congo. Approximate location -3.8988, 13.7654.

HydroBouenzaCongo

Moukoukoulou is a 74 MW hydro power plant in Bouenza, Congo. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 74k homes (estimated). It ranks #3 of 8 Congo power plants by installed capacity. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 20.1% of Congo's electricity; the national grid averages 716 gCO₂/kWh (20.9% low-carbon) (2024).

74Source-backed capacity
74,084homes powered (est.)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1023149.

Data status

Known data

FacilityMoukoukoulou WRI
CountryCongo · Bouenza WRI
Coordinates-3.8988, 13.7654 WRI
FuelHydro WRI
MW installed capacity74 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#3 of 8 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#2 of 4 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent74,084 calculated
Climate23.7°C · HDD 0 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 34/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

OwnerNot available not in dataset
CommissionedNot available not in dataset
TechnologyNot available not in dataset
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 L100001025648); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

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 Congo

Imboulou: 120 MW120ImboulouMoukoukoulou: 74 MW74Moukoukoul…Djoue: 15 MW15DjoueSounda Gorge: 10 MW10Sounda Gor…

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 tropical savanna climate (Köppen Aw) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 3.9°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

23.7°Cannual mean temp
0heating degree-days (base 18°C)
2,084cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
458 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 24 °CJF: 25 °CFM: 25 °CMA: 25 °CAM: 24 °CMJ: 22 °CJJ: 21 °CJA: 22 °CAS: 23 °CSO: 24 °CON: 24 °CND: 24 °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 a moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C3ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
34/100environmental-severity index
4.1°Cseasonal temperature swing
225 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 4 in Congo by capacity.

Congo has 4 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 219 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates -3.8988, 13.7654 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Moukoukoulou?

Moukoukoulou is a 74 MW source-record hydro power plant in Bouenza, Congo.

How many homes can Moukoukoulou power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 74,084 homes (estimated).

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