DIRINON is a 184 MW oil power station in Brittany, France. It is operated by Electricité de France SA [100%]. Based on reported annual generation of 30 GWh, it can supply roughly 8.5k homes. It ranks #77 of 2,216 France power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1980, it is around 46 years old — long-established. Its annual emissions of 35,850 t CO₂/yr (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)) are equivalent to about 8.4k cars driven for a year. In context, oil supplies about 1.8% of France's electricity; the national grid averages 41 gCO₂/kWh (94.9% low-carbon) (2025).

184MW installed capacity
30GWh reported / yr
8,514homes powered
35,850t CO₂ / yr (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023))
1980commissioned (~46 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1002721.

Data status

Known data

FacilityDIRINON WRI
CountryFrance · Brittany WRI
Coordinates48.39, -4.26 WRI
FuelOil WRI
MW installed capacity184 MW GEM · 2026 · L100000408745; operating plant capacity
Verification noteQuality label backfilled from existing source-backed capacity provenance on 2026-07-05; capacity value was not changed. source-verified
OwnerElectricité de France SA [100%] WRI
Commissioned1980 WRI
TechnologyOCGT WRI
GWh reported / yr30 GWh·a⁻¹ WRI
CO₂ emissions35,850 t CO₂·a⁻¹ measured · EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#77 / 2216 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#7 / 18 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.38× · 133 MW · n=18 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent8,514 calculated from reported generation
Climate11.4°C · HDD 2,415 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 32/100 derived from coordinates

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 · L100000408745; fuel: WRI GPPD

In context: how this plant compares

At 184 MW, DIRINON is well above the median oil plant in France (133 MW). Technically it is described as OCGT. Oil-fired plants burn heavy fuel oil or diesel, usually as peaking or backup capacity on islands and grids without gas pipelines; high fuel cost keeps their utilisation low.

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

35,850 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

83kbarrels of crude oil burned
4.8khomes' total energy use for a year
598ktree seedlings grown for 10 years
0.33%of the CO₂ from all France power plants with an emissions figure in PowerAtlas

Equivalencies via US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies; emissions per EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023) (measured for US EPA/EU ETS, modelled for Climate TRACE).

Key facts

Load factor
2%, from 30 GWh of reported generation, in line with the 2% median for 5 oil plants in France
Generation trend
18 GWh in 2015 and 30 GWh in 2017 (+69%)
Highest and lowest year
2017: 30 GWh; 2015: 18 GWh
Share of France oil capacity
3.1% of 5,920 MW across 18 plants in this dataset
Age among peers
0 of 14 dated oil plants in France are older

Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).

Reported generation trend

2015: 18 GWh20152016: 18 GWh20162017: 30 GWh201730 GWh

Annual generation (GWh), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by Electricité de France SA [100%].

Local climate & thermal context

This oil plant burns oil or diesel to drive turbines or reciprocating engines. It sits in a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 48.4°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

11.4°Cannual mean temp
2,415heating degree-days (base 18°C)
0cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
78 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 7 °CJF: 7 °CFM: 8 °CMA: 9 °CAM: 12 °CMJ: 15 °CJJ: 17 °CJA: 17 °CAS: 15 °CSO: 12 °CON: 9 °CND: 8 °CD17 °C

Heating degree-days here run 2% 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: 49/100 — 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 corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C4ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
32/100environmental-severity index
10.3°Cseasonal temperature swing
39 kmdistance to coast

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 #7 largest oil power plant of 18 in France by capacity.

France has 18 oil power plants in this dataset, together about 5,920 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 48.39, -4.26 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is DIRINON?

DIRINON is a 184 MW oil power plant in Brittany, France, commissioned in 1980.

How much electricity does DIRINON generate?

DIRINON generates about 30 GWh of electricity per year.

Who operates DIRINON?

DIRINON is operated by Electricité de France SA [100%].

How much CO₂ does DIRINON emit?

DIRINON has measured emissions of about 35,850 tonnes of CO₂ per year (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)).

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