Home / Asia / China / Tianqiao

Tianqiao

Hydro power plant in Shanxi Sheng, China. Approximate location 39.06, 111.13.

HydroShanxi ShengChinarun-of-river

Tianqiao is a 128 MW hydro power station in Shanxi Sheng, China. It is operated by Jinneng Holdings Power Group Co Ltd [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 128k homes (estimated). It ranks #2415 of 6,685 China power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1977, it is around 49 years old — long-established. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 13.2% of China's electricity; the national grid averages 525 gCO₂/kWh (41.7% low-carbon) (2025).

128Source-backed capacity
128,146homes powered (est.)
1977commissioned (~49 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1000610.

Data status

Known data

FacilityTianqiao WRI
CountryChina · Shanxi Sheng WRI
Coordinates39.06, 111.13 WRI
FuelHydro WRI
MW installed capacity128 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerJinneng Holdings Power Group Co Ltd [100%] WRI
Commissioned1977 WRI
Technologyrun-of-river WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#2415 of 6685 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#242 of 947 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers5.33× · 24 MW median · 947 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent128,146 calculated
Climate6.7°C · HDD 4,294 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC1 · 41/100 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 L100000601200); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 128 MW, Tianqiao is well above the median hydro plant in China (24 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.

Capacity vs largest hydro plants in China

Three Gorges Dam: 22,500 MW22kThree Gorg…Xiluodu: 13,860 MW14kXiluoduBaihetan Dam: 13,050 MW13kBaihetan D…Xiangjiaba: 7,750 MW8kXiangjiabaNuozhadu: 5,850 MW6kNuozhaduLongtan: 4,900 MW5kLongtanJinping II: 4,800 MW5kJinping IIAhai: 4,750 MW5kAhai

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

Owner

Operated by Jinneng Holdings Power Group Co Ltd [100%].

Local climate & thermal context

This hydro plant converts the energy of falling or flowing water through hydro turbines. It sits in a cold semi-arid steppe climate (Köppen BSk) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 39.1°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

6.7°Cannual mean temp
4,294heating degree-days (base 18°C)
204cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
1,250 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -10 °CJF: -6 °CFM: 1 °CMA: 9 °CAM: 16 °CMJ: 20 °CJJ: 21 °CJA: 20 °CAS: 14 °CSO: 8 °CON: -1 °CND: -9 °CD21 °C

Heating degree-days here run 75% above 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: 88/100 — this site sits in the top 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 benign, low-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C1 — Very low), with dust abrasion the leading environmental stress.

C1ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
41/100environmental-severity index
31.9°Cseasonal temperature swing
575 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 #242 largest hydro power plant of 947 in China by capacity.

China has 947 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 262,337 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 39.06, 111.13 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Tianqiao?

Tianqiao is a 128 MW source-record hydro power plant in Shanxi Sheng, China, commissioned in 1977.

How many homes can Tianqiao power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 128,146 homes (estimated).

Who operates Tianqiao?

Tianqiao is operated by Jinneng Holdings Power Group Co Ltd [100%].

Built from open public data; no personal information. Operate this site? Request a correction or removal.