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Tekeze

Hydro power plant in Tigray, Ethiopia. Approximate location 13.3492, 38.7405.

HydroTigrayEthiopiaconventional storage

Tekeze is a 300 MW hydro power station in Tigray, Ethiopia. It is operated by Ethiopian Electric Power Corp [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 300k homes (estimated). It ranks #5 of 15 Ethiopia power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2009, it is around 17 years old — relatively modern. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 96.5% of Ethiopia's electricity; the national grid averages 23 gCO₂/kWh (100.0% low-carbon) (2025).

300Source-backed capacity
300,342homes powered (est.)
2009commissioned (~17 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1000063.

Data status

Known data

FacilityTekeze WRI
CountryEthiopia · Tigray WRI
Coordinates13.3492, 38.7405 WRI
FuelHydro WRI
MW installed capacity300 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerEthiopian Electric Power Corp [100%] WRI
Commissioned2009 WRI
Technologyconventional storage WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#5 of 15 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#4 of 11 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.96× · 153 MW median · 11 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent300,342 calculated
Climate25.1°C · HDD 0 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 34/100 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 L100000601602); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 300 MW, Tekeze is well above the median hydro plant in Ethiopia (153 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.

Capacity vs largest hydro plants in Ethiopia

Gilgel Gibe III: 1,870 MW2kGilgel Gib…Beles: 460 MW460BelesGilgel Gibe II: 420 MW420Gilgel Gib…Tekeze: 300 MW300TekezeGilgel Gibe I: 184 MW184Gilgel Gib…Melka Wekana: 153 MW153Melka Weka…Fincha: 134 MW134FinchaFincha Amerti Nesha: 97 MW97Fincha Ame…

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

Owner

Operated by Ethiopian Electric Power Corp [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 13.3°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

25.1°Cannual mean temp
0heating degree-days (base 18°C)
2,572cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
1,229 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 24 °CJF: 25 °CFM: 27 °CMA: 28 °CAM: 27 °CMJ: 27 °CJJ: 24 °CJA: 24 °CAS: 24 °CSO: 25 °CON: 24 °CND: 23 °CD28 °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)
34/100environmental-severity index
5.2°Cseasonal temperature swing
266 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 #4 largest hydro power plant of 11 in Ethiopia by capacity.

Ethiopia has 11 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 3,797 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 13.3492, 38.7405 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Tekeze?

Tekeze is a 300 MW source-record hydro power plant in Tigray, Ethiopia, commissioned in 2009.

How many homes can Tekeze power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 300,342 homes (estimated).

Who operates Tekeze?

Tekeze is operated by Ethiopian Electric Power Corp [100%].

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