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SURULIYAR

Hydro power plant in Tamil Nadu, India. Approximate location 9.62, 77.2726.

HydroTamil NaduIndiaconventional storage

SURULIYAR is a 35 MW hydro power plant in Tamil Nadu, India. It is operated by Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corp Ltd [100%]. Based on reported annual generation of 92 GWh, it can supply roughly 26k homes. It ranks #1259 of 2,229 India power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1978, it is around 48 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).

35Source-backed capacity
92GWh reported / yr
26,314homes powered
1978commissioned (~48 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id IND0000432.

Data status

Known data

FacilitySURULIYAR WRI
CountryIndia · Tamil Nadu WRI
Coordinates9.62, 77.2726 WRI
FuelHydro WRI
MW installed capacity35 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerTamil Nadu Power Distribution Corp Ltd [100%] WRI
Commissioned1978 WRI
Technologyconventional storage WRI
GWh reported / yr92 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#1259 of 2229 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#163 of 233 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.44× · 80 MW median · 233 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent26,314 calculated from reported generation
Climate22.0°C · HDD 0 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 40/100 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 L100001054749); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 35 MW, SURULIYAR is below 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.

Reported generation trend

2014: 103 GWh20142015: 92 GWh20152016: 42 GWh20162017: 70 GWh20172018: 92 GWh2018103 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Tamil Nadu Power Distribution 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 9.6°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

22.0°Cannual mean temp
0heating degree-days (base 18°C)
1,444cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
1,075 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 20 °CJF: 21 °CFM: 23 °CMA: 24 °CAM: 24 °CMJ: 23 °CJJ: 22 °CJA: 22 °CAS: 22 °CSO: 22 °CON: 21 °CND: 20 °CD24 °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 corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C4ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
40/100environmental-severity index
4.4°Cseasonal temperature swing
112 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 #163 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 9.62, 77.2726 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is SURULIYAR?

SURULIYAR is a 35 MW source-record hydro power plant in Tamil Nadu, India, commissioned in 1978.

How much electricity does SURULIYAR generate?

SURULIYAR generates about 92 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can SURULIYAR power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 26,314 homes.

Who operates SURULIYAR?

SURULIYAR is operated by Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corp Ltd [100%].

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