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SIVASAMUNDRUM

Hydro power plant in Karnataka, India. Approximate location 12.3082, 77.165.

HydroKarnatakaIndiarun-of-river

SIVASAMUNDRUM is a 42 MW hydro power plant in Karnataka, India. It is operated by Karnataka Power Corp Ltd [100%]. Based on reported annual generation of 283 GWh, it can supply roughly 81k homes. It ranks #1190 of 2,229 India power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1927, it is around 99 years old — an older, legacy facility. 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).

42Source-backed capacity
283GWh reported / yr
80,800homes powered
1927commissioned (~99 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id IND0000418.

Data status

Known data

FacilitySIVASAMUNDRUM WRI
CountryIndia · Karnataka WRI
Coordinates12.3082, 77.165 WRI
FuelHydro WRI
MW installed capacity42 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerKarnataka Power Corp Ltd [100%] WRI
Commissioned1927 WRI
Technologyrun-of-river WRI
GWh reported / yr283 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#1190 of 2229 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#154 of 233 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.53× · 80 MW median · 233 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent80,800 calculated from reported generation
Climate25.3°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 L100001054748); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 42 MW, SIVASAMUNDRUM is below 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: 221 GWh20142015: 215 GWh20152016: 144 GWh20162017: 176 GWh20172018: 283 GWh2018283 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Karnataka Power Corp Ltd [100%].

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 12.3°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

25.3°Cannual mean temp
0heating degree-days (base 18°C)
2,656cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
635 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 23 °CJF: 25 °CFM: 28 °CMA: 29 °CAM: 28 °CMJ: 26 °CJJ: 25 °CJA: 25 °CAS: 25 °CSO: 25 °CON: 23 °CND: 22 °CD29 °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
6.4°Cseasonal temperature swing
186 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 #154 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 12.3082, 77.165 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is SIVASAMUNDRUM?

SIVASAMUNDRUM is a 42 MW source-record hydro power plant in Karnataka, India, commissioned in 1927.

How much electricity does SIVASAMUNDRUM generate?

SIVASAMUNDRUM generates about 283 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can SIVASAMUNDRUM power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 80,800 homes.

Who operates SIVASAMUNDRUM?

SIVASAMUNDRUM is operated by Karnataka Power Corp Ltd [100%].

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