World Power Plants

First Falls6 MW Hydroelectric

HydroRenewableVerified: Feb 2026

First Falls is a 6 MW hydro power plant in South Africa, operated by Eskom. Ranked #18 of 24 hydro plants in South Africa, First Falls' 6 MW represents 0.09% of the country's total hydro capacity of 6,384 MW. The largest hydro plant in South Africa is Ingula Pumped Storage Scheme at 1,332 MW, making First Falls 222 times smaller. Nearby plants within 50 km include Colley Wobbles Power Station (42 MW, Coal) and Colleywobbles (42 MW, Hydro). The facility is located in the KwaZulu-Natal province, approximately 150 km from the nearest major city, Durban.

Capacity
6 MW
Commissioning Year
Owner
Eskom
Location
-31.5996°, 28.8182°

South Africa, Africa

Context & rankings
  • 190. largest of 232 plants in South Africa
  • #27,330 worldwide by installed capacity
  • #6,179 of 8,493 Hydroelectric plants worldwide
  • 0.01% of the installed capacity of South Africa
Operator portfolio

Eskom operates 53 plants totalling 61,395 MW

Regional density

2 plants within 100 km, 84 MW combined

Nearest plant: Colleywobbles (51.1 km)

Data provenance

Location

Coordinates:: -31.599630, 28.818219
Open in Google Maps
Carbon Footprint

Zero Direct Emissions

First Falls is a hydro power plant producing approximately 21 GWh of clean electricity per year with zero direct CO₂ emissions during operation.

Lifecycle emissions: ~24 g CO₂/kWh (manufacturing, transport, decommissioning)

Technical Details

Primary Fuel Type
Hydro
Energy Source
Renewable
Country
South Africa
Continent
Africa
Data Source
Global Power Plant Database

South AfricaEnergy Profile

232
Total Plants
71.9 GW
Total Capacity
CoalHydroSolarGas
Top Fuels

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