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Hayle Wave Hub (Test Site)

Wave and Tidal power plant in England, United Kingdom. Approximate location 50.205, -5.4423.

Wave and TidalEnglandUnited Kingdom

Hayle Wave Hub (Test Site) is a 23 MW wave and tidal power plant in England, United Kingdom. It is operated by Wave Hub. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 14k homes (estimated). It ranks #485 of 2,860 United Kingdom power plants by installed capacity. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, the national grid averages 217 gCO₂/kWh (64.4% low-carbon) (2025).

23Legacy source-record capacity
14,391homes powered (est.)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id GBR0002457.

Data status

Known data

FacilityHayle Wave Hub (Test Site) WRI
CountryUnited Kingdom · England WRI
Coordinates50.205, -5.4423 WRI
FuelWave and Tidal WRI
MW installed capacity23 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerWave Hub WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#485 of 2860 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#1 of 7 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers11.50× · 2 MW median · 7 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent14,391 calculated
Climate10.8°C · HDD 2,601 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 33/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

CommissionedNot available not in dataset
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 23 MW, Hayle Wave Hub (Test Site) is well above the median wave and tidal plant in United Kingdom (2 MW). This facility converts its energy source into electricity for the grid; its capacity, fuel type and location determine its role in the national power mix.

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

Capacity vs largest wave and tidal plants in United Kingdom

Hayle Wave Hub (Test Site): 23 MW23Hayle Wave…Inner Sound Phase 1A (MeyGen): 6 MW6Inner Soun…The Fall of Warness Tidal Scheme (EMEC): 4 MW4The Fall o…Fall of Warness Tidal Demonstrator (EMEC): 2 MW2Fall of Wa…SeaGen Tidal Farm: 1 MW1SeaGen Tid…European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC): 1 MW1European M…Hammerfest (EMEC): 1 MW1Hammerfest…

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

Owner

Operated by Wave Hub.

Local climate & thermal context

This wave and tidal plant converts the motion of waves or tides into electricity. It sits in a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 50.2°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

10.8°Cannual mean temp
2,601heating degree-days (base 18°C)
0cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
63 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 7 °CJF: 7 °CFM: 8 °CMA: 9 °CAM: 11 °CMJ: 14 °CJJ: 16 °CJA: 16 °CAS: 14 °CSO: 12 °CON: 9 °CND: 8 °CD16 °C

Heating degree-days here run 6% 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: 52/100 — 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 corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), with marine corrosion the leading environmental stress.

C4ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
33/100environmental-severity index
9.2°Cseasonal temperature swing
14 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 #1 largest wave and tidal power plant of 7 in United Kingdom by capacity.

United Kingdom has 7 wave and tidal power plants in this dataset, together about 38 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 50.205, -5.4423 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Hayle Wave Hub (Test Site)?

Hayle Wave Hub (Test Site) is a 23 MW source-record wave and tidal power plant in England, United Kingdom.

How many homes can Hayle Wave Hub (Test Site) power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 14,391 homes (estimated).

Who operates Hayle Wave Hub (Test Site)?

Hayle Wave Hub (Test Site) is operated by Wave Hub.

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