World Power Plants

Graaff Electric Lighting Works0.3 MW Hydroelectric

HydroRenewableVerified: Feb 2026

Graaff Electric Lighting Works is a 0.3 MW hydro power plant in South Africa, operated by the City of Cape Town since 1895. Ranked #23 of 24 hydro plants in South Africa. Its 0.3 MW represents a small portion of South Africa'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 Graaff Electric Lighting Works 4,440 times smaller. Nearby plants within 50 km include Koeberg Nuclear Power Station (1,940 MW, Nuclear), Koeberg (1,800 MW, Nuclear), and Ankerlig Power Station (1,338 MW, Gas). The facility is located in the Western Cape province, approximately 30 km north of Cape Town.

Capacity
0.3 MW
Commissioning Year
1895

131 years old

Owner
City of Cape Town
Location
-33.9385°, 18.4102°

South Africa, Africa

Context & rankings
  • 208. largest of 232 plants in South Africa
  • #38,558 worldwide by installed capacity
  • #8,260 of 8,493 Hydroelectric plants worldwide
Age & fleet comparison

131 years in operation

Hydroelectric fleet average: 42.1 years

Operator portfolio

City of Cape Town operates 3 plants totalling 222 MW

Regional density

22 plants within 100 km, 8,359 MW combined

Nearest plant: Roggebaai Gas Turbine (3.1 km)

Data provenance

Location

Coordinates:: -33.938504, 18.410216
Open in Google Maps
Carbon Footprint

Zero Direct Emissions

Graaff Electric Lighting Works is a hydro power plant producing approximately 1 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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