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Nurek

Hydro power plant in Khatlon, Tajikistan. Approximate location 38.3717, 69.3481.

HydroKhatlonTajikistanconventional storage

Nurek is a 2,700 MW hydro power station in Khatlon, Tajikistan. It is operated by Barki Tojik. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 2.7 million homes (estimated). It ranks #1 of 14 Tajikistan power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1972, it is around 54 years old — an older, legacy facility. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 94.4% of Tajikistan's electricity; the national grid averages 73 gCO₂/kWh (94.4% low-carbon) (2025).

2,700Source-backed capacity
2,703,085homes powered (est.)
1972commissioned (~54 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1000349.

Data status

Known data

FacilityNurek WRI
CountryTajikistan · Khatlon WRI
Coordinates38.3717, 69.3481 WRI
FuelHydro WRI
MW installed capacity2,700 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerBarki Tojik WRI
Commissioned1972 WRI
Technologyconventional storage WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#1 of 14 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#1 of 8 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers12.86× · 210 MW median · 8 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent2,703,085 calculated
Climate13.3°C · HDD 2,376 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC2 · 34/100 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.

Capacity provenance

The public capacity above is a source-verified 2026 capacity claim: 2,700 MW for Nurek hydroelectric plant.

Source: GEM tracker raw 2026. Scope: operating/nameplate; source-backed GEM tracker 2026 plant record. Confidence: high_source_row_verified_strict.

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 L100000603551); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 2,700 MW, Nurek is well above the median hydro plant in Tajikistan (210 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 Tajikistan

Nurek: 2,700 MW3kNurekSangtuda 1: 670 MW670Sangtuda 1Baipaza: 600 MW600BaipazaGolovnaya: 210 MW210GolovnayaKairakkum: 174 MW174KairakkumVarzob 2: 14 MW14Varzob 2Varzob 1: 11 MW11Varzob 1Khorog: 10 MW10Khorog

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

Owner

Operated by Barki Tojik.

Local climate & thermal context

This hydro plant converts the energy of falling or flowing water through hydro turbines. It sits in a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 38.4°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

13.3°Cannual mean temp
2,376heating degree-days (base 18°C)
667cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
1,223 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 0 °CJF: 2 °CFM: 7 °CMA: 14 °CAM: 18 °CMJ: 23 °CJJ: 26 °CJA: 25 °CAS: 20 °CSO: 14 °CON: 8 °CND: 3 °CD26 °C

Heating degree-days here run 3% 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: 49/100 — this site sits in the mid 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 thermal cycling the leading environmental stress.

C2ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
34/100environmental-severity index
25.8°Cseasonal temperature swing
1016 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 #1 largest hydro power plant of 8 in Tajikistan by capacity.

Tajikistan has 8 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 4,389 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 38.3717, 69.3481 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Nurek?

Nurek is a 2,700 MW source-record hydro power plant in Khatlon, Tajikistan, commissioned in 1972.

How many homes can Nurek power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 2,703,085 homes (estimated).

Who operates Nurek?

Nurek is operated by Barki Tojik.

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