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PARBATI-III

Hydro power plant in Himachal Pradesh, India. Approximate location 31.7398, 77.2576.

HydroHimachal PradeshIndiarun-of-river

PARBATI-III is a 520 MW hydro power station in Himachal Pradesh, India. It is operated by NHPC Ltd [100%]. Based on reported annual generation of 605 GWh, it can supply roughly 173k homes. It ranks #529 of 2,229 India power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2014, it is around 12 years old — relatively modern. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 8.6% of India's electricity; the national grid averages 670 gCO₂/kWh (26.7% low-carbon) (2025).

520Source-backed capacity
605GWh reported / yr
172,942homes powered
2014commissioned (~12 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id IND0000326.

Data status

Known data

FacilityPARBATI-III WRI
CountryIndia · Himachal Pradesh WRI
Coordinates31.7398, 77.2576 WRI
FuelHydro WRI
MW installed capacity520 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerNHPC Ltd [100%] WRI
Commissioned2014 WRI
Technologyrun-of-river WRI
GWh reported / yr605 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#529 of 2229 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#24 of 233 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers6.50× · 80 MW median · 233 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent172,942 calculated from reported generation
Climate10.7°C · HDD 2,648 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC2 · 26/100 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.

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: Wikidata P2109 nameplate capacity; fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 520 MW, PARBATI-III is well above the median hydro plant in India (80 MW). Technically it is described as run-of-river. 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

2014: 658 GWh20142015: 640 GWh20152016: 679 GWh20162017: 707 GWh20172018: 605 GWh2018707 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by NHPC Ltd [100%].

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) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 31.7°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

10.7°Cannual mean temp
2,648heating degree-days (base 18°C)
0cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
2,583 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 2 °CJF: 3 °CFM: 7 °CMA: 12 °CAM: 16 °CMJ: 17 °CJJ: 16 °CJA: 16 °CAS: 15 °CSO: 12 °CON: 8 °CND: 4 °CD17 °C

Heating degree-days here run 8% 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: 53/100 — 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 humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C2ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
26/100environmental-severity index
15.9°Cseasonal temperature swing
1262 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 #24 largest hydro power plant of 233 in India by capacity.

India has 233 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 45,527 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 31.7398, 77.2576 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is PARBATI-III?

PARBATI-III is a 520 MW source-record hydro power plant in Himachal Pradesh, India, commissioned in 2014.

How much electricity does PARBATI-III generate?

PARBATI-III generates about 605 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can PARBATI-III power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 172,942 homes.

Who operates PARBATI-III?

PARBATI-III is operated by NHPC Ltd [100%].

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