Chautagne is a 90 MW hydro power plant in Rhone-Alpes, France. It is operated by GDF-SUEZ. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 90k homes (estimated). It ranks #125 of 2,216 France power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1980, it is around 46 years old — long-established. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 10.4% of France's electricity; the national grid averages 41 gCO₂/kWh (94.9% low-carbon) (2025).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1026743.
Data status
Known data
Calculated from dataset
Not available
Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.
Data provenance
Source of the capacity and fuel values:
capacity: GEM · 2026 · L100000601632; fuel: WRI GPPD
In context: how this plant compares
At 90 MW, Chautagne is well above the median hydro plant in France (5.3 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.
Key facts
- Share of France hydro capacity
- 0.5% of 19,602 MW across 428 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 125 of 281 dated hydro plants in France are older
Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).
Capacity vs largest hydro plants in France
Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Owner
Operated by GDF-SUEZ. All plants by this company →
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 45.9°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 19% 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: 60/100 — 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 mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — Low), 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 #61 largest hydro power plant of 428 in France by capacity.
France has 428 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 19,602 MW of capacity.
Nearby power plants
Location
Coordinates 45.879, 5.811 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Chautagne?
Chautagne is a 90 MW hydro power plant in Rhone-Alpes, France, commissioned in 1980.
Who operates Chautagne?
Chautagne is operated by GDF-SUEZ.