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CASTROCUCCO

Hydro power plant in Calabria, Italy. Approximate location 39.9888, 15.8085.

HydroCalabriaItalyconventional storage

CASTROCUCCO is a 83 MW hydro power plant in Calabria, Italy. It is operated by Enel SpA [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 83k homes (estimated). It ranks #181 of 489 Italy power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1973, it is around 53 years old — an older, legacy facility. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 15.8% of Italy's electricity; the national grid averages 285 gCO₂/kWh (48.8% low-carbon) (2025).

83Source-backed capacity
83,094homes powered (est.)
1973commissioned (~53 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1021307.

Data status

Known data

FacilityCASTROCUCCO WRI
CountryItaly · Calabria WRI
Coordinates39.9888, 15.8085 WRI
FuelHydro WRI
MW installed capacity83 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerEnel SpA [100%] WRI
Commissioned1973 WRI
Technologyconventional storage WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#181 of 489 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#49 of 58 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.63× · 132 MW median · 58 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent83,094 calculated
Climate13.2°C · HDD 2,018 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 38/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset
CO₂ emissionsnot applicable not applicable

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

Data provenance

The capacity and/or fuel fields on this page include a source-backed provenance label from GEM, an official registry, Wikidata, OSM, or a cross-source match.

capacity: GEM tracker 2026 (location L100000602200); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 83 MW, CASTROCUCCO is below the median hydro plant in Italy (132 MW). Technically it is described as conventional storage. Hydropower converts the energy of falling or flowing water into electricity; output depends on rainfall and reservoir level, and large dams also provide grid balancing and storage.

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

Capacity vs largest hydro plants in Italy

ENTRACQUE_CHRO: 1,064 MW1kENTRACQUE_…RONCOVALGRANDE: 1,000 MW1kRONCOVALGR…PRESENZANO: 985 MW985PRESENZANOEDOLO: 950 MW950EDOLOGROSIO: 737 MW737GROSIOS.FIORANO: 544 MW544S.FIORANOANAPO C.LE: 500 MW500ANAPO C.LES.GIACOMO: 490 MW490S.GIACOMO

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

Owner

Operated by Enel SpA [100%].

Local climate & thermal context

This hydro plant converts the energy of falling or flowing water through hydro turbines. It sits in a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 40.0°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

13.2°Cannual mean temp
2,018heating degree-days (base 18°C)
281cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
678 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 6 °CJF: 6 °CFM: 8 °CMA: 10 °CAM: 15 °CMJ: 19 °CJJ: 22 °CJA: 22 °CAS: 19 °CSO: 15 °CON: 10 °CND: 7 °CD22 °C

Heating degree-days here run 18% 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: 43/100 — 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

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)
38/100environmental-severity index
16.2°Cseasonal temperature swing
27 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 #49 largest hydro power plant of 58 in Italy by capacity.

Italy has 58 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 13,593 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 39.9888, 15.8085 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is CASTROCUCCO?

CASTROCUCCO is a 83 MW source-record hydro power plant in Calabria, Italy, commissioned in 1973.

How many homes can CASTROCUCCO power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 83,094 homes (estimated).

Who operates CASTROCUCCO?

CASTROCUCCO is operated by Enel SpA [100%].

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