Siahbishe is a 1,000 MW hydro power station in Tehran, Iran. It is operated by Iran Water and Power Resources Development Company. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 1.0 million homes (estimated). It ranks #36 of 177 Iran power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2015, it is around 11 years old — relatively modern. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 3.3% of Iran's electricity; the national grid averages 660 gCO₂/kWh (5.7% low-carbon) (2025).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1029940.
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 · L100000602178; fuel: WRI GPPD
In context: how this plant compares
At 1,000 MW, Siahbishe is well above the median hydro plant in Iran (130 MW). Technically it is described as pumped 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
- Share of Iran hydro capacity
- 9.2% of 10,818 MW across 19 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 17 of 19 dated hydro plants in Iran are older
Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).
Capacity vs largest hydro plants in Iran
Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Owner
Operated by Iran Water and Power Resources Development Company.
Local climate & thermal context
This hydro plant converts the energy of falling or flowing water through hydro turbines. It sits in a warm-summer Mediterranean continental climate (Köppen Dsb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 36.2°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 92% 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: 92/100 — 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
This site sits in a mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — Low), with thermal cycling 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 #5 largest hydro power plant of 19 in Iran by capacity.
Iran has 19 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 10,818 MW of capacity.
Nearby power plants
- Mazandaran power plant · Gas · 150 MW · Mazandaran
- Amir Kabir · Hydro · 90 MW · Alborz
- Caspian (Mazandaran West) power station · Gas · 460 MW · Mazandaran
- Tehran Research Reactor (TRR) · nuclear · 5 MW · Tehran
- Tarasht · Gas · 50 MW · Tehran
- Latyan · Hydro · 45 MW · Tehran
Location
Coordinates 36.2179, 51.3047 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Siahbishe?
Siahbishe is a 1,000 MW hydro power plant in Tehran, Iran, commissioned in 2015.
Who operates Siahbishe?
Siahbishe is operated by Iran Water and Power Resources Development Company.