Dinorwig — United Kingdom

Dinorwig is a 1,800 MW hydro power station in Wales, United Kingdom. It ranks #20 of 2,860 United Kingdom power plants by installed capacity. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 1.9% of United Kingdom's electricity; the national grid averages 217 gCO₂/kWh (64.4% low-carbon) (2025).

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id GBR1000151.

Capacity provenance

The public capacity above is the current source-record value. A 2026 tracker candidate lists 2,016 MW for Dinorwig 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

Source of the capacity and fuel values:

capacity: GEM · 2026 · L100000603700; fuel: WRI GPPD

In context: how this plant compares

At 1,800 MW, Dinorwig is well above the median hydro plant in United Kingdom (3 MW). Technically it is described as pumped storage. Its current lifecycle status is “Pre Construction” — so it is not yet, or no longer, generating at full output. 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.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #1 largest hydro power plant of 118 in United Kingdom by capacity.

United Kingdom has 118 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 5,950 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

• Dinorwig · Hydro · 1,728 MW · Wales
• Parciau Farm Solar Park · Solar · 13.9 MW · Wales
• Ffestiniog · Hydro · 384 MW · Wales
• Dolgarrog · Hydro · 32 MW · Wales
• Maentwrog · Hydro · 30 MW · Wales
• Bodorgan Solar Farm · Solar · 12.6 MW · Wales

Location

Coordinates 53.1181, -4.1032 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions