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Chancy-Pougny

Hydro power plant in Geneva, Switzerland. Approximate location 46.1604, 5.9766.

HydroGenevaSwitzerlandrun-of-river

Chancy-Pougny is a 54 MW hydro power plant in Geneva, Switzerland. It is operated by Services Industriels de Genève (SIG) [72%]; Compagnie Nationale du Rhône (CNR) [. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 54k homes (estimated). It ranks #51 of 174 Switzerland power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1925, it is around 101 years old — an older, legacy facility. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 52.3% of Switzerland's electricity; the national grid averages 39 gCO₂/kWh (97.7% low-carbon) (2025).

54Source-backed capacity
54,061homes powered (est.)
1925commissioned (~101 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1004119.

Data status

Known data

FacilityChancy-Pougny WRI
CountrySwitzerland · Geneva WRI
Coordinates46.1604, 5.9766 WRI
FuelHydro WRI
MW installed capacity54 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerServices Industriels de Genève (SIG) [72%]; Compagnie Nationale du Rhône (CNR) [ WRI
Commissioned1925 WRI
Technologyrun-of-river WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#51 of 174 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#43 of 162 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers2.97× · 18 MW median · 162 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent54,061 calculated
Climate9.0°C · HDD 3,283 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC2 · 26/100 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 L100001023266); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 54 MW, Chancy-Pougny is well above the median hydro plant in Switzerland (18 MW). Technically it is described as run-of-river. 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 Switzerland

Bieudron: 1,260 MW1kBieudronLimmern: 1,000 MW1kLimmernNendaz: 392 MW392NendazGrimsel 2: 388 MW388Grimsel 2Bitsch (Biel): 340 MW340Bitsch (Bi…Biasca: 324 MW324BiascaFionnay (Dixence): 306 MW306Fionnay (D…Pradella: 300 MW300Pradella

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

Owner

Operated by Services Industriels de Genève (SIG) [72%]; Compagnie Nationale du Rhône (CNR) [.

Local climate & thermal context

This hydro plant converts the energy of falling or flowing water through hydro turbines. It sits in a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 46.2°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

9.0°Cannual mean temp
3,283heating degree-days (base 18°C)
6cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
648 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 0 °CJF: 2 °CFM: 5 °CMA: 8 °CAM: 12 °CMJ: 16 °CJJ: 18 °CJA: 18 °CAS: 14 °CSO: 10 °CON: 4 °CND: 2 °CD18 °C

Heating degree-days here run 34% above 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: 70/100 — this site sits in the top 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 mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — Low), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C2ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
26/100environmental-severity index
17.8°Cseasonal temperature swing
262 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 #43 largest hydro power plant of 162 in Switzerland by capacity.

Switzerland has 162 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 9,694 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 46.1604, 5.9766 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Chancy-Pougny?

Chancy-Pougny is a 54 MW source-record hydro power plant in Geneva, Switzerland, commissioned in 1925.

How many homes can Chancy-Pougny power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 54,061 homes (estimated).

Who operates Chancy-Pougny?

Chancy-Pougny is operated by Services Industriels de Genève (SIG) [72%]; Compagnie Nationale du Rhône (CNR) [.

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