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Paunglaung

Hydro power plant in Mandalay, Myanmar. Approximate location 19.78, 96.333.

HydroMandalayMyanmarconventional storage

Paunglaung is a 280 MW hydro power station in Mandalay, Myanmar. It is operated by Electric Power Generation Enterprise; Yunan Machinery Import and Export Corp. Based on reported annual generation of 911 GWh, it can supply roughly 260k homes. It ranks #28 of 69 Myanmar power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2005, it is around 21 years old — relatively modern. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 46.1% of Myanmar's electricity; the national grid averages 503 gCO₂/kWh (47.9% low-carbon) (2024).

280Source-backed capacity
911GWh reported / yr
260,285homes powered
2005commissioned (~21 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1061363.

Data status

Known data

FacilityPaunglaung WRI
CountryMyanmar · Mandalay WRI
Coordinates19.78, 96.333 WRI
FuelHydro WRI
MW installed capacity280 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerElectric Power Generation Enterprise; Yunan Machinery Import and Export Corp WRI
Commissioned2005 WRI
Technologyconventional storage WRI
GWh reported / yr911 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#28 of 69 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#3 of 20 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers4.67× · 60 MW median · 20 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent260,285 calculated from reported generation
Climate24.5°C · HDD 0 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 35/100 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: GEM tracker 2026 (location L100000602551); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 280 MW, Paunglaung is well above the median hydro plant in Myanmar (60 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 Myanmar

Yeywa: 790 MW790YeywaShweli (1): 600 MW600Shweli (1)Paunglaung: 280 MW280PaunglaungTarpein-1: 240 MW240Tarpein-1Baluchaung BHP (2): 168 MW168Baluchaung…Shwegyin: 75 MW75ShwegyinMone: 75 MW75MoneKyee ON Kyee Wa: 74 MW74Kyee ON Ky…

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

Owner

Operated by Electric Power Generation Enterprise; Yunan Machinery Import and Export Corp.

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) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 19.8°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

24.5°Cannual mean temp
0heating degree-days (base 18°C)
2,367cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
466 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 20 °CJF: 22 °CFM: 26 °CMA: 28 °CAM: 28 °CMJ: 26 °CJJ: 25 °CJA: 25 °CAS: 26 °CSO: 25 °CON: 23 °CND: 20 °CD28 °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)
35/100environmental-severity index
8.8°Cseasonal temperature swing
277 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 #3 largest hydro power plant of 20 in Myanmar by capacity.

Myanmar has 20 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 2,725 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 19.78, 96.333 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Paunglaung?

Paunglaung is a 280 MW source-record hydro power plant in Mandalay, Myanmar, commissioned in 2005.

How much electricity does Paunglaung generate?

Paunglaung generates about 911 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Paunglaung power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 260,285 homes.

Who operates Paunglaung?

Paunglaung is operated by Electric Power Generation Enterprise; Yunan Machinery Import and Export Corp.

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