PONG is a 396 MW hydro power station in Punjab, India. It is operated by Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) [100%]. Based on reported annual generation of 1,505 GWh, it can supply roughly 430k homes. It ranks #596 of 2,225 India power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1979, it is around 47 years old — long-established. 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).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id IND0000340.
Data status
Known data
Calculated from dataset
Not available
Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.
Data provenance
Source of the capacity and fuel values:
capacity: GEM · 2026 · L100000601998; fuel: WRI GPPD
In context: how this plant compares
At 396 MW, PONG is well above the median hydro plant in India (80 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.
Key facts
- Load factor
- 43%, from 1,505 GWh of reported generation; the median for 173 hydro plants in India that report generation is 35%
- Generation trend
- 1,321 GWh in 2014 and 1,505 GWh in 2018 (+14%)
- Highest and lowest year
- 2015: 1,726 GWh; 2014: 1,321 GWh
- Share of India hydro capacity
- 0.9% of 45,527 MW across 233 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 64 of 233 dated hydro plants in India are older
Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).
Reported generation trend
Annual generation (GWh), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Owner
Operated by Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) [100%].
Local climate & thermal context
This hydro plant converts the energy of falling or flowing water through hydro turbines. It sits in a humid subtropical (dry winter) climate (Köppen Cwa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 32.0°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.
Monthly mean temperature
Heating degree-days here run 83% 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: 19/100 — this site sits in the bottom 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
This site sits in a moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.
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 #36 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
- MUKERIAN I -IV · Hydro · 207 MW · Punjab
- Mukerian power station · Coal · 1,320 MW · Punjab
- GAJ · Hydro · 10.5 MW · Himachal Pradesh
- Chadha Sugar power station · Biomass · 28.5 MW · Punjab
- U.B.D.C. ST.-I& II · Hydro · 91.3 MW · Kashmir
- BANER · Hydro · 12 MW · Himachal Pradesh
Location
Coordinates 31.9667, 75.9469 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is PONG?
PONG is a 396 MW hydro power plant in Punjab, India, commissioned in 1979.
How much electricity does PONG generate?
PONG generates about 1,505 GWh of electricity per year.
Who operates PONG?
PONG is operated by Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) [100%].