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Escucha power station

Coal power plant in Teruel, Spain. Approximate location 40.794493, -0.81563.

CoalTeruelSpainsubcritical

Escucha power station is a 159 MW coal power station in Teruel, Spain. It is operated by E.ON SE [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 199k homes (estimated). It ranks #109 of 899 Spain power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1970, it is around 56 years old — an older, legacy facility. In context, coal supplies about 0.3% of Spain's electricity; the national grid averages 154 gCO₂/kWh (74.6% low-carbon) (2025).

159MW installed capacity
198,977homes powered (est.)
1970commissioned (~56 yrs)

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

Data status

Known data

FacilityEscucha power station GEM-coal
CountrySpain · Teruel GEM-coal
Coordinates40.794493, -0.81563 GEM-coal
FuelCoal GEM-coal
MW installed capacity159 MW Wikidata P2109; installed/nameplate capacity
OwnerE.ON SE [100%] GEM-coal
Commissioned1970 GEM-coal
Technologysubcritical GEM-coal

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions696,420 t CO₂·a⁻¹ calculated
Capacity rank in country#109 / 899 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#21 / 24 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.31× · 515.6 MW · n=24 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent198,977 calculated
Climate9.9°C · HDD 3,051 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 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: Wikidata P2109; fuel: GEM GCPT

In context: how this plant compares

At 159 MW, Escucha power station is below the median coal plant in Spain (515.6 MW). Technically it is described as subcritical. Coal plants burn pulverised coal to raise high-pressure steam for a turbine; they run as baseload but are the most carbon-intensive mainstream source and the first targeted for retirement or efficiency retrofits.

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

Capacity vs largest coal plants in Spain

As Pontes power station: 1,468 MW1kAs Pontes …LITORAL DE ALMERIA GR 2: 1,120 MW1kLITORAL DE…TERUEL GR 3: 1,056 MW1kTERUEL GR 3COMPOSTILLA II GR 5: 1,005 MW1kCOMPOSTILL…ABONO 2: 878 MW878ABONO 2La Robla Fenosa power station: 655 MW655La Robla F…LA ROBLA GRUPO 2: 619 MW619LA ROBLA G…LOS BARRIOS: 570 MW570LOS BARRIOS

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

Owner

Operated by E.ON SE [100%].

Local climate & thermal context

This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 40.8°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

9.9°Cannual mean temp
3,051heating degree-days (base 18°C)
106cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
1,215 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 2 °CJF: 3 °CFM: 6 °CMA: 7 °CAM: 12 °CMJ: 16 °CJJ: 20 °CJA: 20 °CAS: 16 °CSO: 10 °CON: 5 °CND: 3 °CD20 °C

Heating degree-days here run 24% 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: 64/100 — 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 moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C3ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
32/100environmental-severity index
18.1°Cseasonal temperature swing
111 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 #21 largest coal power plant of 24 in Spain by capacity.

Spain has 24 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 12,360 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 40.794493, -0.81563 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Escucha power station?

Escucha power station is a 159 MW coal power plant in Teruel, Spain, commissioned in 1970.

How many homes can Escucha power station power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 198,977 homes (estimated).

Who operates Escucha power station?

Escucha power station is operated by E.ON SE [100%].

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