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EL CARCHE

Wind power plant in Murcia, Spain. Approximate location 38.4545, -1.214.

WindMurciaSpainOnshore

EL CARCHE is a 25 MW wind power plant in Murcia, Spain. It is operated by ENRON WIND DE ESPANA S.L.. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 21k homes (estimated). It ranks #498 of 899 Spain power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2003, it is around 23 years old — relatively modern. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, wind supplies about 20.4% of Spain's electricity; the national grid averages 154 gCO₂/kWh (74.6% low-carbon) (2025).

25Legacy source-record capacity
21,104homes powered (est.)
2003commissioned (~23 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1006435.

Data status

Known data

FacilityEL CARCHE WRI
CountrySpain · Murcia WRI
Coordinates38.4545, -1.214 WRI
FuelWind WRI
MW installed capacity25 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerENRON WIND DE ESPANA S.L. WRI
Commissioned2003 WRI
TechnologyOnshore WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#498 of 899 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#209 of 341 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.83× · 30 MW median · 341 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent21,104 calculated
Climate14.4°C · HDD 1,845 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC1 · 37/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset
CO₂ emissionsnot applicable not applicable

Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.

Data provenance

The capacity and fuel fields on this page are source-record values from the upstream open dataset. They are useful for identification and ranking, but they have not been upgraded to a 2026 registry/GEM-location verified value.

capacity: WRI Global Power Plant Database source-record (legacy); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 25 MW, EL CARCHE is below the median wind plant in Spain (30 MW). Technically it is described as Onshore. Wind turbines convert moving air into electricity; output is variable and site-dependent, and modern turbines deliver some of the lowest-cost new generation on many grids.

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

Capacity vs largest wind plants in Spain

SAN LORENZO A: 150 MW150SAN LORENZ…P.E. DOLAR 1: 100 MW100P.E. DOLAR…P.E. TORRE MIRO II: 99 MW99P.E. TORRE…PARAMO DE POZA I: 97 MW97PARAMO DE …PARQUE EOLICO ALTO PALANCIA III: 94 MW94PARQUE EOL…P.E. TARDIENTA I: 94 MW94P.E. TARDI…PENAFLOR III: 90 MW90PENAFLOR I…P.E. SAN JUAN DE BARGAS (UNIFICADO): 90 MW90P.E. SAN J…

Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by ENRON WIND DE ESPANA S.L..

Local climate & thermal context

This wind plant converts the kinetic energy of wind into electricity through turbine rotors. It sits in a cold semi-arid steppe climate (Köppen BSk) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 38.5°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

14.4°Cannual mean temp
1,845heating degree-days (base 18°C)
556cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
669 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 6 °CJF: 8 °CFM: 10 °CMA: 12 °CAM: 16 °CMJ: 21 °CJJ: 24 °CJA: 24 °CAS: 20 °CSO: 15 °CON: 10 °CND: 7 °CD24 °C

Heating degree-days here run 25% 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: 40/100 — 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 benign, low-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C1 — Very low), with dust abrasion the leading environmental stress.

C1ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
37/100environmental-severity index
18.5°Cseasonal temperature swing
79 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 #209 largest wind power plant of 341 in Spain by capacity.

Spain has 341 wind power plants in this dataset, together about 11,361 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 38.4545, -1.214 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is EL CARCHE?

EL CARCHE is a 25 MW source-record wind power plant in Murcia, Spain, commissioned in 2003.

How many homes can EL CARCHE power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 21,104 homes (estimated).

Who operates EL CARCHE?

EL CARCHE is operated by ENRON WIND DE ESPANA S.L..

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