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BESOS GRUPO 5

Gas power plant in Catalonia, Spain. Approximate location 41.4196, 2.2294.

GasCataloniaSpainCCGT · HRSGCO₂ measured

BESOS GRUPO 5 is a 1,671 MW gas power station in Catalonia, Spain. It is operated by ENDESA GENERACION S.A.. Based on reported annual generation of 1,360 GWh, it can supply roughly 389k homes. It ranks #4 of 899 Spain power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2010, it is around 16 years old — relatively modern. Its annual emissions of 804,593 t CO₂/yr (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)) are equivalent to about 188k 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).

1,671Legacy source-record capacity
1HRSG unit(s)
1,360GWh reported / yr
388,657homes powered
804,593t CO₂ / yr (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023))
2010commissioned (~16 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1006249.

Data status

Known data

FacilityBESOS GRUPO 5 WRI
CountrySpain · Catalonia WRI
Coordinates41.4196, 2.2294 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity1,671 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerENDESA GENERACION S.A. WRI
Commissioned2010 WRI
TechnologyCCGT · HRSG WRI
GWh reported / yr1,360 GWh/yr WRI
CO₂ emissions804,593 t CO₂/yr measured · EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#4 of 899 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#1 of 95 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers30.94× · 54 MW median · 95 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent388,657 calculated from reported generation
Climate15.6°C · HDD 1,387 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 40/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset

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 1,671 MW, BESOS GRUPO 5 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.

804,593 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

188kpassenger cars driven for a year
105khomes' yearly energy use
13 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

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

Reported generation trend

2015: 744 GWh20152016: 666 GWh20162017: 1,360 GWh20171k GWh

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

Owner

Operated by ENDESA GENERACION S.A.. All plants by this company →

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 41.4°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

15.6°Cannual mean temp
1,387heating degree-days (base 18°C)
514cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
86 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 9 °CJF: 10 °CFM: 11 °CMA: 13 °CAM: 17 °CMJ: 20 °CJJ: 24 °CJA: 24 °CAS: 21 °CSO: 17 °CON: 12 °CND: 10 °CD24 °C

Heating degree-days here run 44% 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: 32/100 — this site sits in the bottom third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

A gas turbine here also runs ~0% 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

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

C4ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
40/100environmental-severity index
15.2°Cseasonal temperature swing
18 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 #1 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 41.4196, 2.2294 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is BESOS GRUPO 5?

BESOS GRUPO 5 is a 1,671 MW source-record gas power plant in Catalonia, Spain, commissioned in 2010.

How much electricity does BESOS GRUPO 5 generate?

BESOS GRUPO 5 generates about 1,360 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can BESOS GRUPO 5 power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 388,657 homes.

Who operates BESOS GRUPO 5?

BESOS GRUPO 5 is operated by ENDESA GENERACION S.A..

How much CO₂ does BESOS GRUPO 5 emit?

BESOS GRUPO 5 has measured emissions of about 804,593 tonnes of CO₂ per year (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)).

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