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Wailuku River Hydroelectric

Hydro power plant in Hawaii, United States of America. Approximate location 19.713, -155.1486.

HydroHawaiiUnited States of America

Wailuku River Hydroelectric is a 10 MW hydro power plant in Hawaii, United States of America. It is operated by Wailuku Holding Company LLC. Based on reported annual generation of 24 GWh, it can supply roughly 6.9k homes. It ranks #5628 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1993, it is around 33 years old — long-established. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 5.3% of United States of America's electricity; the national grid averages 384 gCO₂/kWh (43.0% low-carbon) (2025).

10Source-backed capacity
24GWh reported / yr
6,857homes powered
1993commissioned (~33 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0054827.

Data status

Known data

FacilityWailuku River Hydroelectric WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Hawaii WRI
Coordinates19.713, -155.1486 WRI
FuelHydro WRI
MW installed capacity10 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerWailuku Holding Company LLC WRI
Commissioned1993 WRI
GWh reported / yr24 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#5628 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#634 of 1449 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.30× · 8 MW median · 1449 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent6,857 calculated from reported generation
Climate22.8°C · HDD 0 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC5 · 44/100 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/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: Wikidata P2109 nameplate capacity; fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 10 MW, Wailuku River Hydroelectric is well above the median hydro plant in United States of America (8 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.

Reported generation trend

2013: 15 GWh20132014: 18 GWh20142015: 41 GWh20152016: 36 GWh20162017: 20 GWh20172018: 42 GWh20182019: 24 GWh201942 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Wailuku Holding Company LLC.

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 19.7°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

22.8°Cannual mean temp
0heating degree-days (base 18°C)
1,740cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
89 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 22 °CJF: 22 °CFM: 22 °CMA: 22 °CAM: 22 °CMJ: 23 °CJJ: 24 °CJA: 24 °CAS: 24 °CSO: 24 °CON: 23 °CND: 22 °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 an aggressive, high-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C5 — Very high), with marine salt corrosion the leading environmental stress.

C5ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
44/100environmental-severity index
2.6°Cseasonal temperature swing
33 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 #634 largest hydro power plant of 1449 in United States of America by capacity.

United States of America has 1449 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 102,513 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 19.713, -155.1486 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Wailuku River Hydroelectric?

Wailuku River Hydroelectric is a 10 MW source-record hydro power plant in Hawaii, United States of America, commissioned in 1993.

How much electricity does Wailuku River Hydroelectric generate?

Wailuku River Hydroelectric generates about 24 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Wailuku River Hydroelectric power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 6,857 homes.

Who operates Wailuku River Hydroelectric?

Wailuku River Hydroelectric is operated by Wailuku Holding Company LLC.

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