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BAHIA DE ALGECIRAS I — Spain

Gas power plant in Andalusia, Spain. Approximate location 36.1829, -5.3905.

GasAndalusiaSpainCCGT · HRSGCO₂ measured

BAHIA DE ALGECIRAS I is a 731 MW gas power station in Andalusia, Spain. It is operated by VIESGO GENERACION S.L.. Based on reported annual generation of 3,374 GWh, it can supply roughly 964k homes. It ranks #46 of 899 Spain power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1970, it is around 56 years old — an older, legacy facility. Its annual emissions of 1,079,633 t CO₂/yr (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)) are equivalent to about 252k cars driven for a year. In context, gas supplies about 21.6% of Spain's electricity; the national grid averages 154 gCO₂/kWh (74.6% low-carbon) (2025).

731MW installed capacity
1HRSG unit(s)
3,374GWh reported / yr
963,914homes powered
1,079,633t CO₂ / yr (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023))
1970commissioned (~56 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1006223.

Data status

Known data

FacilityBAHIA DE ALGECIRAS I WRI
CountrySpain · Andalusia WRI
Coordinates36.1829, -5.3905 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity731 MW WRI GPPD; source record
OwnerVIESGO GENERACION S.L. WRI
Commissioned1970 WRI
TechnologyCCGT · HRSG WRI
GWh reported / yr3,374 GWh·a⁻¹ WRI
CO₂ emissions1,079,633 t CO₂·a⁻¹ measured · EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#46 / 899 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#27 / 95 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers13.54× · 54 MW · n=95 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent963,914 calculated from reported generation
Climate17.5°C · HDD 771 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 41/100 derived from coordinates

Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.

Capacity provenance

The public capacity above is the current source-record value. A 2026 tracker candidate lists 821 MW for Bahia de Algeciras power station, but it is not used as the public primary value until scope is verified (unit vs operating vs installed/project total).

Data provenance

Capacity and fuel are the upstream open-dataset record, not yet matched to a 2026 registry or GEM entry.

capacity: WRI GPPD; fuel: WRI GPPD

In context: how this plant compares

At 731 MW, BAHIA DE ALGECIRAS I is well above the median gas plant in Spain (54 MW). Technically it is described as CCGT; combined-cycle with a heat-recovery steam generator (HRSG). Gas plants burn natural gas either in open-cycle turbines for fast peaking, or in combined-cycle units that recover exhaust heat in an HRSG to reach roughly 55–62% efficiency — the cleanest-burning fossil option.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

1,079,633 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

20kmillion cubic feet of natural gas burned
252kgasoline cars driven for a year
322wind turbines running for a year
4.0%of the CO₂ from all Spain power plants with an emissions figure in PowerAtlas

Equivalencies via US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies; emissions per EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023) (measured for US EPA/EU ETS, modelled for Climate TRACE).

Key facts

Load factor
53%, from 3,374 GWh of reported generation; the median for 24 gas plants in Spain that report generation is 15%
Generation trend
2,104 GWh in 2015 and 3,374 GWh in 2017 (+60%)
Highest and lowest year
2017: 3,374 GWh; 2015: 2,104 GWh
Share of Spain gas capacity
2.3% of 32,018 MW across 95 plants in this dataset
Age among peers
0 of 83 dated gas plants in Spain are older

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

Reported generation trend

2015: 2,104 GWh20152016: 2,416 GWh20162017: 3,374 GWh20173k GWh

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

Local climate & thermal context

This gas plant burns natural gas in a turbine — often in a combined-cycle setup — to generate electricity. It sits in a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 36.2°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

17.5°Cannual mean temp
771heating degree-days (base 18°C)
599cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
96 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 12 °CJF: 13 °CFM: 14 °CMA: 15 °CAM: 18 °CMJ: 21 °CJJ: 24 °CJA: 24 °CAS: 22 °CSO: 19 °CON: 16 °CND: 13 °CD24 °C

Heating degree-days here run 69% 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: 24/100 — this site sits in the bottom third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

A gas turbine here also runs ~2% below its ISO (15°C) rating at this annual mean (typical CCGT curve, estimate).

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 corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), with marine corrosion the leading environmental stress.

C4ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
41/100environmental-severity index
12.1°Cseasonal temperature swing
19 kmdistance to coast

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 #27 largest gas power plant of 95 in Spain by capacity.

Spain has 95 gas power plants in this dataset, together about 32,018 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 36.1829, -5.3905 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is BAHIA DE ALGECIRAS I?

BAHIA DE ALGECIRAS I is a 731 MW gas power plant in Andalusia, Spain, commissioned in 1970.

How much electricity does BAHIA DE ALGECIRAS I generate?

BAHIA DE ALGECIRAS I generates about 3,374 GWh of electricity per year.

Who operates BAHIA DE ALGECIRAS I?

BAHIA DE ALGECIRAS I is operated by VIESGO GENERACION S.L..

How much CO₂ does BAHIA DE ALGECIRAS I emit?

BAHIA DE ALGECIRAS I has measured emissions of about 1,079,633 tonnes of CO₂ per year (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)).

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