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Isalnita power station

Coal power plant in Dolj, Romania. Approximate location 44.3886, 23.718.

CoalDoljRomaniasubcriticalMothballedCO₂ measured

Isalnita power station is a 630 MW coal power station in Dolj, Romania. It is operated by SC Complexul Energetic Craiova. Based on reported annual generation of 2,148 GWh, it can supply roughly 614k homes. It ranks #11 of 97 Romania power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1988, it is around 38 years old — long-established. Its annual emissions of 865,337 t CO₂/yr (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)) are equivalent to about 202k cars driven for a year. In context, coal supplies about 13.4% of Romania's electricity; the national grid averages 251 gCO₂/kWh (67.5% low-carbon) (2025).

630Legacy source-record capacity
2,148GWh reported / yr
613,828homes powered
865,337t CO₂ / yr (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023))
1988commissioned (~38 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1019099.

Data status

Known data

FacilityIsalnita power station WRI
CountryRomania · Dolj WRI
Coordinates44.3886, 23.718 WRI
FuelCoal WRI
MW installed capacity630 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerSC Complexul Energetic Craiova WRI
Commissioned1988 WRI
Technologysubcritical WRI
GWh reported / yr2,148 GWh/yr WRI
CO₂ emissions865,337 t CO₂/yr measured · EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#11 of 97 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#7 of 20 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers2.40× · 262 MW median · 20 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent613,828 calculated from reported generation
Climate11.3°C · HDD 2,771 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC2 · 31/100 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.

Capacity provenance

The public capacity above is the current source-record value. A 2026 tracker candidate lists 315 MW for Isalnita power station, but it is not used as the public primary value until scope is verified (unit vs operating vs installed/project total).

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

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 630 MW, Isalnita power station is well above the median coal plant in Romania (262 MW). Technically it is described as subcritical. Its current lifecycle status is “mothballed” — so it is not yet, or no longer, generating at full output. 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.

865,337 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

202kpassenger cars driven for a year
113khomes' yearly energy use
14 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

Equivalencies via US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies; emissions per EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023) (measured for US EPA/EU ETS, modelled for Climate TRACE).

Reported generation trend

2015: 2,475 GWh20152016: 1,718 GWh20162017: 2,148 GWh20172k GWh

Annual generation (GWh), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by SC Complexul Energetic Craiova.

Local climate & thermal context

This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 44.4°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

11.3°Cannual mean temp
2,771heating degree-days (base 18°C)
336cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
122 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -1 °CJF: 1 °CFM: 6 °CMA: 12 °CAM: 17 °CMJ: 20 °CJJ: 22 °CJA: 22 °CAS: 18 °CSO: 12 °CON: 5 °CND: 1 °CD22 °C

Heating degree-days here run 13% 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: 56/100 — 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 mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — Low), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C2ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
31/100environmental-severity index
23.3°Cseasonal temperature swing
372 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 20 in Romania by capacity.

Romania has 20 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 9,517 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 44.3886, 23.718 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Isalnita power station?

Isalnita power station is a 630 MW source-record coal power plant in Dolj, Romania, commissioned in 1988.

How much electricity does Isalnita power station generate?

Isalnita power station generates about 2,148 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Isalnita power station power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 613,828 homes.

Who operates Isalnita power station?

Isalnita power station is operated by SC Complexul Energetic Craiova.

How much CO₂ does Isalnita power station emit?

Isalnita power station has measured emissions of about 865,337 tonnes of CO₂ per year (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)).

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