COO is a 1,164 MW hydro power station in Wallonia, Belgium. It is operated by ENGIE SA [100%]. Based on reported annual generation of 946 GWh, it can supply roughly 270k homes. It ranks #4 of 95 Belgium power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1972, it is around 54 years old — an older, legacy facility. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 0.6% of Belgium's electricity; the national grid averages 150 gCO₂/kWh (72.0% low-carbon) (2025).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1002221.
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 474 MW for Coo I hydroelectric plant, but it is not used as the public primary value until scope is verified (unit vs operating vs installed/project total).
Data provenance
Capacity and fuel are the upstream open-dataset record, not yet matched to a 2026 registry or GEM entry.
capacity: WRI GPPD; fuel: WRI GPPD
In context: how this plant compares
At 1,164 MW, COO is well above the median hydro plant in Belgium (9.9 MW). Technically it is described as pumped 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.
Key facts
- Load factor
- 9%, from 946 GWh of reported generation
- Generation trend
- 851 GWh in 2015 and 946 GWh in 2017 (+11%)
- Highest and lowest year
- 2017: 946 GWh; 2015: 851 GWh
- Share of Belgium hydro capacity
- 83.5% of 1,393 MW across 11 plants in this dataset
Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).
Reported generation trend
Annual generation (GWh), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Owner
Operated by ENGIE SA [100%].
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 50.4°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 47% 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: 78/100 — 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
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 #1 largest hydro power plant of 11 in Belgium by capacity.
Belgium has 11 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 1,393 MW of capacity.
Nearby power plants
- HEID-DE-GOREUX 1 · Hydro · 8 MW · Wallonia
- CIERREUX TJ · Oil · 18.6 MW · Wallonia
- BUTGENBACH · Hydro · 1.8 MW · Wallonia
- ANGLEUR TG 41 · Gas · 128 MW · Wallonia
- HU MONSIN · Hydro · 19.7 MW · Wallonia
- LIBERTY SERAING · Gas · 181.5 MW · Wallonia
Location
Coordinates 50.3849, 5.8618 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is COO?
COO is a 1,164 MW hydro power plant in Wallonia, Belgium, commissioned in 1972.
How much electricity does COO generate?
COO generates about 946 GWh of electricity per year.
Who operates COO?
COO is operated by ENGIE SA [100%].