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Gidbole

Hydro power plant in Vaesternorrland, Sweden. Approximate location 63.4, 19.05.

HydroVaesternorrlandSweden

Gidbole is a 12 MW hydro power plant in Vaesternorrland, Sweden. It is operated by 90.1% Statkraft. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 12k homes (estimated). It ranks #145 of 178 Sweden power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1985, it is around 41 years old — long-established. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 40.0% of Sweden's electricity; the national grid averages 35 gCO₂/kWh (98.8% low-carbon) (2025).

12Legacy source-record capacity
12,013homes powered (est.)
1985commissioned (~41 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1002053.

Data status

Known data

FacilityGidbole WRI
CountrySweden · Vaesternorrland WRI
Coordinates63.4, 19.05 WRI
FuelHydro WRI
MW installed capacity12 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
Owner90.1% Statkraft WRI
Commissioned1985 WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#145 of 178 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#113 of 142 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.34× · 35 MW median · 142 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent12,013 calculated
Climate4.0°C · HDD 5,085 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 30/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

TechnologyNot available not in dataset
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 12 MW, Gidbole is below the median hydro plant in Sweden (35 MW). Hydropower converts the energy of falling or flowing water into electricity; output depends on rainfall and reservoir level, and large dams also provide grid balancing and storage.

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

Capacity vs largest hydro plants in Sweden

Karlshamn: 1,020 MW1kKarlshamnHarspranget: 818 MW818HarsprangetStornorrfors: 599 MW599Stornorrfo…Letsi: 483 MW483LetsiMessaure: 463 MW463MessaurePorjus: 417 MW417PorjusLigga: 342 MW342LiggaTrängslet: 329 MW329Trängslet

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

Owner

Operated by 90.1% Statkraft.

Local climate & thermal context

This hydro plant converts the energy of falling or flowing water through hydro turbines. It sits in a subarctic (boreal) climate (Köppen Dfc) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 63.4°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

4.0°Cannual mean temp
5,085heating degree-days (base 18°C)
0cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
18 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -6 °CJF: -6 °CFM: -2 °CMA: 2 °CAM: 7 °CMJ: 12 °CJJ: 16 °CJA: 14 °CAS: 10 °CSO: 5 °CON: 0 °CND: -4 °CD16 °C

Heating degree-days here run 107% 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: 95/100 — this site sits in the top 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)
30/100environmental-severity index
21.3°Cseasonal temperature swing
19 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 #113 largest hydro power plant of 142 in Sweden by capacity.

Sweden has 142 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 12,709 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 63.4, 19.05 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Gidbole?

Gidbole is a 12 MW source-record hydro power plant in Vaesternorrland, Sweden, commissioned in 1985.

How many homes can Gidbole power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 12,013 homes (estimated).

Who operates Gidbole?

Gidbole is operated by 90.1% Statkraft.

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