Brikel power station is a 200 MW coal power station in Stara Zagora, Bulgaria. It is operated by Brikel EAD. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 250k homes (estimated). It ranks #17 of 55 Bulgaria power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1961, it is around 65 years old — an older, legacy facility. In context, coal supplies about 22.5% of Bulgaria's electricity; the national grid averages 276 gCO₂/kWh (71.9% low-carbon) (2025).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1008041.
Data status
Known data
Calculated from dataset
Not available
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 300 MW for Brikel 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
Source of the capacity and fuel values:
capacity: GEM · 2026 · L100000100142; fuel: WRI GPPD
In context: how this plant compares
At 200 MW, Brikel power station is well above the median coal plant in Bulgaria (180 MW). Technically it is described as subcritical. Coal plants burn pulverised coal to raise high-pressure steam for a turbine; they run as baseload but are the most carbon-intensive mainstream source and the first targeted for retirement or efficiency retrofits.
Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.
Key facts
- Share of Bulgaria coal capacity
- 3.7% of 5,419 MW across 14 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 1 of 13 dated coal plants in Bulgaria is older
Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).
Capacity vs largest coal plants in Bulgaria
Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Owner
Operated by Brikel EAD.
Local climate & thermal context
This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 42.2°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.
Monthly mean temperature
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.
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 moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.
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 #6 largest coal power plant of 14 in Bulgaria by capacity.
Bulgaria has 14 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 5,419 MW of capacity.
Nearby power plants
- AES Galabovo · Coal · 690 MW · Stara Zagora
- Maritsa Itzok-3 power station · Coal · 908 MW · Stara Zagora
- Maritsa Iztok-2 power station · Gas · 1,000 MW · Galabovo
- Maritsa Itzok-2 power station · Coal · 1,602 MW · Stara Zagora
- TOPLO RUSE · Coal · 110 MW · Stara Zagora
- Zdravets · Solar · 15.6 MW · Khaskovo
Location
Coordinates 42.1551, 25.9072 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Brikel power station?
Brikel power station is a 200 MW coal power plant in Stara Zagora, Bulgaria, commissioned in 1961.
Who operates Brikel power station?
Brikel power station is operated by Brikel EAD.