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Bragado

Hydro power plant in Vila Real, Portugal. Approximate location 41.5814, -7.6801.

HydroVila RealPortugal

Bragado is a 3 MW hydro power plant in Vila Real, Portugal. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 3,103 homes (estimated). It ranks #325 of 469 Portugal power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1998, it is around 28 years old — long-established. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 29.7% of Portugal's electricity; the national grid averages 128 gCO₂/kWh (81.0% low-carbon) (2025).

3MW installed capacity
3,103homes powered (est.)
1998commissioned (~28 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1022677.

Capacity vs largest hydro plants in Portugal

Frades II: 780 MW780Frades IIAlto Lindoso: 630 MW630Alto Lindo…Venda Nova: 90 MW90Venda NovaBelver: 81 MW81BelverRibeiradio: 74 MW74RibeiradioAlto Rabagão: 68 MW68Alto Rabag…Caniçada: 62 MW62CaniçadaVilar-Tabuaço: 58 MW58Vilar-Tabu…

Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Local climate & thermal context

This hydro plant converts the energy of falling or flowing water through hydro turbines. It sits in a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 41.6°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

11.7°Cannual mean temp
2,373heating degree-days (base 18°C)
77cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
789 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 5 °CJF: 6 °CFM: 8 °CMA: 10 °CAM: 12 °CMJ: 17 °CJJ: 19 °CJA: 19 °CAS: 17 °CSO: 12 °CON: 8 °CND: 6 °CD19 °C

Heating degree-days here run 3% 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: 49/100 — this site sits in the mid third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

In colder climates, uninsulated hot equipment (boilers, turbines, valves, steam lines) loses proportionally more heat to ambient air — exactly the loss Inzonex modular insulation is designed to cut.

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.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #78 largest hydro power plant of 122 in Portugal by capacity.

Portugal has 122 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 2,760 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 41.5814, -7.6801 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

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