Navajo Dam

Hydro power plant in New Mexico, United States of America. Approximate location 36.8061, -107.6131.

HydroNew MexicoUnited States of America

Navajo Dam is a 30 MW hydro power plant in New Mexico, United States of America. It is operated by City of Farmington - (NM). Based on reported annual generation of 58 GWh, it can supply roughly 16k homes. It ranks #4309 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1989, it is around 37 years old — long-established. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 5.3% of United States of America's electricity; the national grid averages 384 gCO₂/kWh (43.0% low-carbon) (2025).

30Source-backed capacity
58GWh reported / yr
16,485homes powered
1989commissioned (~37 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0000584.

Data status

Known data

FacilityNavajo Dam WRI
CountryUnited States of America · New Mexico WRI
Coordinates36.8061, -107.6131 WRI
FuelHydro WRI
MW installed capacity30 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerCity of Farmington - (NM) WRI
Commissioned1989 WRI
GWh reported / yr58 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#4309 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#400 of 1449 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers3.75× · 8 MW median · 1449 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent16,485 calculated from reported generation
Climate10.0°C · HDD 3,215 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC1 · 38/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

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 L100001054933); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 30 MW, Navajo Dam is well above the median hydro plant in United States of America (8 MW). 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.

Reported generation trend

2013: 42 GWh20132014: 61 GWh20142015: 48 GWh20152016: 104 GWh20162017: 79 GWh20172018: 80 GWh20182019: 58 GWh2019104 GWh

Annual generation (GWh), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by City of Farmington - (NM).

Local climate & thermal context

This hydro plant converts the energy of falling or flowing water through hydro turbines. It sits in a cold semi-arid steppe climate (Köppen BSk) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 36.8°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

10.0°Cannual mean temp
3,215heating degree-days (base 18°C)
298cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
1,951 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -2 °CJF: 1 °CFM: 4 °CMA: 8 °CAM: 14 °CMJ: 19 °CJJ: 23 °CJA: 22 °CAS: 18 °CSO: 11 °CON: 4 °CND: -1 °CD23 °C

Heating degree-days here run 31% above 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: 69/100 — this site sits in the top 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 benign, low-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C1 — Very low), with dust abrasion the leading environmental stress.

C1ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
38/100environmental-severity index
25.2°Cseasonal temperature swing
837 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 #400 largest hydro power plant of 1449 in United States of America by capacity.

United States of America has 1449 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 102,513 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 36.8061, -107.6131 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Navajo Dam?

Navajo Dam is a 30 MW source-record hydro power plant in New Mexico, United States of America, commissioned in 1989.

How much electricity does Navajo Dam generate?

Navajo Dam generates about 58 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Navajo Dam power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 16,485 homes.

Who operates Navajo Dam?

Navajo Dam is operated by City of Farmington - (NM).

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