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Son La

Hydro power plant in Son La, Vietnam. Approximate location 21.4971, 103.996.

HydroSon LaVietnam

Son La is a 2,400 MW hydro power station in Son La, Vietnam. It is operated by Vietnam Electricity (EVN). Based on reported annual generation of 9,429 GWh, it can supply roughly 2,694,000 homes. It ranks #1 of 236 Vietnam power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2012, it is around 14 years old — relatively modern. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 33.0% of Vietnam's electricity; the national grid averages 461 gCO₂/kWh (45.4% low-carbon) (2025).

2,400MW installed capacity
9,429GWh reported / yr
2,694,000homes powered
2012commissioned (~14 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1030899.

Capacity vs largest hydro plants in Vietnam

Son La: 2,400 MW2kSon LaHoa Binh: 1,920 MW2kHoa BinhLai Chau: 1,200 MW1kLai ChauIaly: 720 MW720IalyHuoi Quang: 520 MW520Huoi QuangHam Thuan - Da Mi: 475 MW475Ham Thuan …Tri An: 400 MW400Tri AnSe San 4: 360 MW360Se San 4

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

Owner

Operated by Vietnam Electricity (EVN). All plants by this company →

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 21.5°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

22.0°Cannual mean temp
134heating degree-days (base 18°C)
1,613cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
549 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 16 °CJF: 17 °CFM: 20 °CMA: 23 °CAM: 25 °CMJ: 26 °CJJ: 26 °CJA: 26 °CAS: 25 °CSO: 23 °CON: 20 °CND: 17 °CD26 °C

Heating degree-days here run 95% 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: 16/100 — this site sits in the bottom third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

In colder climates, uninsulated hot equipment (boilers, turbines, valves, steam lines) loses proportionally more heat to ambient air — exactly the loss Inzonex modular insulation is designed to cut.

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.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #1 largest hydro power plant of 174 in Vietnam by capacity.

Vietnam has 174 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 16,750 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 21.4971, 103.996 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

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