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Varvara

Hydro power plant in Mingacevir City, Azerbaijan. Approximate location 40.6837, 47.0926.

HydroMingacevir CityAzerbaijan

Varvara is a 16 MW hydro power plant in Mingacevir City, Azerbaijan. It is operated by AzerEnerji. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 16k homes (estimated). It ranks #21 of 22 Azerbaijan power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1957, it is around 69 years old — an older, legacy facility. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 11.5% of Azerbaijan's electricity; the national grid averages 632 gCO₂/kWh (12.1% low-carbon) (2025).

16Legacy source-record capacity
16,018homes powered (est.)
1957commissioned (~69 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1002201.

Data status

Known data

FacilityVarvara WRI
CountryAzerbaijan · Mingacevir City WRI
Coordinates40.6837, 47.0926 WRI
FuelHydro WRI
MW installed capacity16 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerAzerEnerji WRI
Commissioned1957 WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#21 of 22 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#4 of 5 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.11× · 150 MW median · 5 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent16,018 calculated
Climate14.8°C · HDD 2,029 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 36/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

TechnologyNot available not in dataset
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 fuel fields on this page are source-record values from the upstream open dataset. They are useful for identification and ranking, but they have not been upgraded to a 2026 registry/GEM-location verified value.

capacity: WRI Global Power Plant Database source-record (legacy); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 16 MW, Varvara is below the median hydro plant in Azerbaijan (150 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.

Capacity vs largest hydro plants in Azerbaijan

Mingechevir: 424 MW424MingechevirShamkir: 380 MW380ShamkirYenikend: 150 MW150YenikendVarvara: 16 MW16VarvaraGusar: 1 MW1Gusar

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

Owner

Operated by AzerEnerji. 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 climate (Köppen Cfa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 40.7°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

14.8°Cannual mean temp
2,029heating degree-days (base 18°C)
889cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
12 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 3 °CJF: 4 °CFM: 8 °CMA: 14 °CAM: 19 °CMJ: 24 °CJJ: 28 °CJA: 26 °CAS: 22 °CSO: 15 °CON: 10 °CND: 4 °CD28 °C

Heating degree-days here run 17% 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: 44/100 — this site sits in the mid 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 moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C3ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
36/100environmental-severity index
24.7°Cseasonal temperature swing
182 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 5 in Azerbaijan by capacity.

Azerbaijan has 5 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 971 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 40.6837, 47.0926 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Varvara?

Varvara is a 16 MW source-record hydro power plant in Mingacevir City, Azerbaijan, commissioned in 1957.

How many homes can Varvara power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 16,018 homes (estimated).

Who operates Varvara?

Varvara is operated by AzerEnerji.

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