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Sidi Salem

Hydro power plant in Bajah, Tunisia. Approximate location 36.59, 9.397.

HydroBajahTunisia

Sidi Salem is a 33 MW hydro power plant in Bajah, Tunisia. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 33k homes (estimated). It ranks #24 of 30 Tunisia power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1983, it is around 43 years old — long-established. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 0.0% of Tunisia's electricity; the national grid averages 560 gCO₂/kWh (4.0% low-carbon) (2025).

33Source-backed capacity
33,037homes powered (est.)
1983commissioned (~43 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1023616.

Data status

Known data

FacilitySidi Salem WRI
CountryTunisia · Bajah WRI
Coordinates36.59, 9.397 WRI
FuelHydro WRI
MW installed capacity33 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
Commissioned1983 WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#24 of 30 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#1 of 6 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers6.88× · 5 MW median · 6 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent33,037 calculated
Climate18.1°C · HDD 1,016 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 38/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

OwnerNot available not in dataset
TechnologyNot available not in dataset
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 33 MW, Sidi Salem is well above the median hydro plant in Tunisia (5 MW). 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 Tunisia

Sidi Salem: 33 MW33Sidi SalemNebeur: 13 MW13NebeurAroussia: 5 MW5AroussiaBouherthma: 1 MW1BouherthmaFernana: 1 MW1FernanaKasseb: 1 MW1Kasseb

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

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 36.6°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

18.1°Cannual mean temp
1,016heating degree-days (base 18°C)
1,060cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
151 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 10 °CJF: 11 °CFM: 13 °CMA: 16 °CAM: 20 °CMJ: 25 °CJJ: 27 °CJA: 27 °CAS: 24 °CSO: 20 °CON: 15 °CND: 11 °CD27 °C

Heating degree-days here run 59% 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: 26/100 — 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

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)
38/100environmental-severity index
17.3°Cseasonal temperature swing
74 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 6 in Tunisia by capacity.

Tunisia has 6 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 54 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 36.59, 9.397 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Sidi Salem?

Sidi Salem is a 33 MW source-record hydro power plant in Bajah, Tunisia, commissioned in 1983.

How many homes can Sidi Salem power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 33,037 homes (estimated).

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