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DIRINON

Oil power plant in Brittany, France. Approximate location 48.39, -4.26.

OilBrittanyFranceOCGTCO₂ measured

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 #78 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).

184Source-backed 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 WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerElectricité de France SA [100%] WRI
Commissioned1980 WRI
TechnologyOCGT WRI
GWh reported / yr30 GWh/yr WRI
CO₂ emissions35,850 t CO₂/yr measured · EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#78 of 2216 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#7 of 18 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.38× · 133 MW median · 18 peers 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

Not available

GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset

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 L100000408745); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

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:

8.4kpassenger cars driven for a year
4.7khomes' yearly energy use
598ktree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

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

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

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 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

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 #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 source-record oil power plant in Brittany, France, commissioned in 1980.

How much electricity does DIRINON generate?

DIRINON generates about 30 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can DIRINON power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 8,514 homes.

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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