HPP Raul Mare is a 335 MW hydro power station in Hunedoara, Romania. It is operated by SC Hidroelectrica [100%]. Based on reported annual generation of 224 GWh, it can supply roughly 64k homes. It ranks #19 of 97 Romania power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1986, it is around 40 years old — long-established. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 24.3% of Romania's electricity; the national grid averages 251 gCO₂/kWh (67.5% low-carbon) (2025).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1019104.
Data status
Known data
Calculated from dataset
Not available
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 210 MW for Raul Mare hydroelectric plant, but it is not used as the public primary value until scope is verified (unit vs operating vs installed/project total).
Data provenance
Capacity and fuel are the upstream open-dataset record, not yet matched to a 2026 registry or GEM entry.
capacity: WRI GPPD; fuel: WRI GPPD
In context: how this plant compares
At 335 MW, HPP Raul Mare is well above the median hydro plant in Romania (219 MW). Technically it is described as conventional storage. 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.
Key facts
- Load factor
- 8%, from 224 GWh of reported generation
- Generation trend
- 427 GWh in 2015 and 224 GWh in 2017 (−47%)
- Highest and lowest year
- 2015: 427 GWh; 2017: 224 GWh
- Share of Romania hydro capacity
- 10.1% of 3,328 MW across 10 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 8 of 9 dated hydro plants in Romania are older
Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).
Reported generation trend
Annual generation (GWh), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Owner
Operated by SC Hidroelectrica [100%].
Local climate & thermal context
This hydro plant converts the energy of falling or flowing water through hydro turbines. It sits in a warm-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 45.3°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.
Monthly mean temperature
Heating degree-days here run 114% 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
This site sits in a mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — Low), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.
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 #3 largest hydro power plant of 10 in Romania by capacity.
Romania has 10 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 3,328 MW of capacity.
Nearby power plants
- HPP Ruieni · Hydro · 138 MW · Caras-Severin
- Paroseni power station · Coal · 150 MW · Hunedoara
- Târgu Jiu Thermal Plant · Coal · 100 MW · Gorj
- Rovinari power station · Coal · 990 MW · Gorj
- Mintia-Deva power station · Coal · 1,075 MW · Hunedoara
- Romag Termo power station · Gas · 150 MW · Mehedinti
Location
Coordinates 45.3391, 22.7213 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is HPP Raul Mare?
HPP Raul Mare is a 335 MW hydro power plant in Hunedoara, Romania, commissioned in 1986.
How much electricity does HPP Raul Mare generate?
HPP Raul Mare generates about 224 GWh of electricity per year.
Who operates HPP Raul Mare?
HPP Raul Mare is operated by SC Hidroelectrica [100%].