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Gardunha

Wind power plant in Castelo Branco, Portugal. Approximate location 40.0695, -7.6647.

WindCastelo BrancoPortugalOnshore

Gardunha is a 135 MW wind power station in Castelo Branco, Portugal. It is operated by Novenergia [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 115k homes (estimated). It ranks #15 of 480 Portugal power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2007, it is around 19 years old — relatively modern. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, wind supplies about 26.7% of Portugal's electricity; the national grid averages 128 gCO₂/kWh (81.0% low-carbon) (2025).

135Source-backed capacity
114,881homes powered (est.)
2007commissioned (~19 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1023352.

Data status

Known data

FacilityGardunha WRI
CountryPortugal · Castelo Branco WRI
Coordinates40.0695, -7.6647 WRI
FuelWind WRI
MW installed capacity135 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerNovenergia [100%] WRI
Commissioned2007 WRI
TechnologyOnshore WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#15 of 480 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#5 of 224 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers11.74× · 12 MW median · 224 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent114,881 calculated
Climate14.0°C · HDD 1,784 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 32/100 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.

Capacity provenance

The public capacity above is the current source-record value. A 2026 tracker candidate lists 135 MW for Gardunha wind farm, but it is not used as the public primary value until scope is verified (unit vs operating vs installed/project total).

Capacity claim grade: A2_MEDIUM_REVIEW - recommended action: manual_source_check - confidence: medium. This follows a claim-based data model: value + scope + source + confidence, rather than silently overwriting records.

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 L100000915767); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 135 MW, Gardunha is well above the median wind plant in Portugal (12 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 Portugal

Alto Minho I: 240 MW240Alto Minho…Alto Douro: 216 MW216Alto DouroAlto da Coutada: 188 MW188Alto da Co…Pinhal Interior: 157 MW157Pinhal Int…Gardunha: 135 MW135GardunhaPenamacor: 132 MW132PenamacorTerras Altas de Fafe: 124 MW124Terras Alt…Toutiço: 124 MW124Toutiço

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

Owner

Operated by Novenergia [100%].

Local climate & thermal context

This wind plant converts the kinetic energy of wind into electricity through turbine rotors. It sits in a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 40.1°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

14.0°Cannual mean temp
1,784heating degree-days (base 18°C)
342cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
591 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 7 °CJF: 8 °CFM: 10 °CMA: 12 °CAM: 15 °CMJ: 19 °CJJ: 22 °CJA: 22 °CAS: 19 °CSO: 15 °CON: 10 °CND: 8 °CD22 °C

Heating degree-days here run 27% 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: 39/100 — 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
15.1°Cseasonal temperature swing
88 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 #5 largest wind power plant of 224 in Portugal by capacity.

Portugal has 224 wind power plants in this dataset, together about 5,055 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 40.0695, -7.6647 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Gardunha?

Gardunha is a 135 MW source-record wind power plant in Castelo Branco, Portugal, commissioned in 2007.

How many homes can Gardunha power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 114,881 homes (estimated).

Who operates Gardunha?

Gardunha is operated by Novenergia [100%].

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