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Farciennes power station

Coal power plant in Hainaut, Belgium. Approximate location 50.42, 4.556.

CoalHainautBelgiumsubcritical

Farciennes power station is a 202 MW coal power station in Hainaut, Belgium. It is operated by Electrabel NV/SA [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 253k homes (estimated). It ranks #26 of 95 Belgium power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1958, it is around 68 years old — an older, legacy facility. In context, coal supplies about 0.0% of Belgium's electricity; the national grid averages 150 gCO₂/kWh (72.0% low-carbon) (2025).

202MW installed capacity
252,788homes powered (est.)
1958commissioned (~68 yrs)

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

Data status

Known data

FacilityFarciennes power station GEM-coal
CountryBelgium · Hainaut GEM-coal
Coordinates50.42, 4.556 GEM-coal
FuelCoal GEM-coal
MW installed capacity202 MW GEM GCPT; source record
OwnerElectrabel NV/SA [100%] GEM-coal
Commissioned1958 GEM-coal
Technologysubcritical GEM-coal

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions884,760 t CO₂·a⁻¹ calculated
Capacity rank in country#26 / 95 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#7 / 7 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.79× · 255 MW · n=7 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent252,788 calculated
Environmental severityC3 · 28/100 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 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: GEM GCPT; fuel: GEM GCPT

In context: how this plant compares

At 202 MW, Farciennes power station is below the median coal plant in Belgium (255 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 Belgium

Antwerp Power Station: 1,100 MW1kAntwerp Po…Ruien power station: 550 MW550Ruien powe…LANGERLO 1: 470 MW470LANGERLO 1Mol power station: 255 MW255Mol power …Amercoeur power station: 252 MW252Amercoeur …Monceau-Sur-Sambre power station: 216 MW216Monceau-Su…Farciennes power station: 202 MW202Farciennes…

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

Owner

Operated by Electrabel NV/SA [100%].

Climate zone & how it works

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 50.4°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

~11°Ctypical annual mean
~18°Ctypical warm-season mean
Temperate oceanic: four distinct seasons — cold winters and warm summers

Climate zone & typical temperatures: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid).

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)
28/100environmental-severity index
15.0°Cseasonal temperature swing
121 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 coal power plant of 7 in Belgium by capacity.

Belgium has 7 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 3,045 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 50.42, 4.556 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Farciennes power station?

Farciennes power station is a 202 MW coal power plant in Hainaut, Belgium, commissioned in 1958.

How many homes can Farciennes power station power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 252,788 homes (estimated).

Who operates Farciennes power station?

Farciennes power station is operated by Electrabel NV/SA [100%].

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