Upper Mamquam — Canada

Upper Mamquam is a 25 MW hydro power plant in British Columbia, Canada. It is operated by TransAlta (100%). Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 25k homes (estimated). It ranks #527 of 1,210 Canada power plants by installed capacity. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 52.8% of Canada's electricity; the national grid averages 191 gCO₂/kWh (77.0% low-carbon) (2025).

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id CAN0008500.

Capacity provenance

The public capacity above is the current source-record value. A 2026 tracker candidate lists 58 MW for Mamquam hydroelectric plant, but it is not used as the public primary value until scope is verified (unit vs operating vs installed/project total).

Data provenance

Source of the capacity and fuel values:

capacity: GEM · 2026 · L100001022917; fuel: WRI GPPD

In context: how this plant compares

At 25 MW, Upper Mamquam is well above the median hydro plant in Canada (12 MW). 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.

Key facts

Share of Canada hydro capacity

less than 0.1% of 81,037 MW across 556 plants in this dataset

Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).

Capacity vs largest hydro plants in Canada

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

Owner

Operated by TransAlta (100%). 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 temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 49.7°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

Monthly mean temperature

Heating degree-days here run 97% 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: 93/100 — 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

This site sits in a mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — Low), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

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 #210 largest hydro power plant of 556 in Canada by capacity.

Canada has 556 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 81,037 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

• Mamquam · Hydro · 58 MW · British Columbia
• Skookum Power (Mamquam Skookum) · Hydro · 25 MW · British Columbia
• Squamish Power Project · Hydro · 1 MW · British Columbia
• Furry Creek · Hydro · 10 MW · British Columbia
• Culliton Creek · Hydro · 15 MW · British Columbia
• Lower Clowhom · Hydro · 11 MW · British Columbia

Location

Coordinates 49.7178, -123.0546 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions