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LA MUELA CORTES 1

Hydro power plant in Valencia, Spain. Approximate location 39.2628, -0.9192.

HydroValenciaSpainconventional storage

LA MUELA CORTES 1 is a 634 MW hydro power station in Valencia, Spain. It is operated by IBERDROLA GENERACION S.A.. Based on reported annual generation of 1,774 GWh, it can supply roughly 507k homes. It ranks #50 of 899 Spain power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1989, it is around 37 years old — long-established. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 11.4% of Spain's electricity; the national grid averages 154 gCO₂/kWh (74.6% low-carbon) (2025).

634Legacy source-record capacity
1,774GWh reported / yr
507,000homes powered
1989commissioned (~37 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1006586.

Data status

Known data

FacilityLA MUELA CORTES 1 WRI
CountrySpain · Valencia WRI
Coordinates39.2628, -0.9192 WRI
FuelHydro WRI
MW installed capacity634 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerIBERDROLA GENERACION S.A. WRI
Commissioned1989 WRI
Technologyconventional storage WRI
GWh reported / yr1,774 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#50 of 899 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#5 of 124 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers11.49× · 55 MW median · 124 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent507,000 calculated from reported generation
Climate13.8°C · HDD 1,950 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 33/100 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.

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 634 MW, LA MUELA CORTES 1 is well above the median hydro plant in Spain (55 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.

Reported generation trend

2016: 2,350 GWh20162017: 1,774 GWh20172k GWh

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

Owner

Operated by IBERDROLA GENERACION S.A.. All plants by this company →

Local climate & thermal context

This hydro plant converts the energy of falling or flowing water through hydro turbines. It sits in a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 39.3°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

13.8°Cannual mean temp
1,950heating degree-days (base 18°C)
445cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
652 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 6 °CJF: 7 °CFM: 9 °CMA: 11 °CAM: 15 °CMJ: 20 °CJJ: 23 °CJA: 23 °CAS: 20 °CSO: 14 °CON: 10 °CND: 7 °CD23 °C

Heating degree-days here run 21% 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: 42/100 — 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)
33/100environmental-severity index
17.6°Cseasonal temperature swing
72 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 hydro power plant of 124 in Spain by capacity.

Spain has 124 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 15,680 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 39.2628, -0.9192 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is LA MUELA CORTES 1?

LA MUELA CORTES 1 is a 634 MW source-record hydro power plant in Valencia, Spain, commissioned in 1989.

How much electricity does LA MUELA CORTES 1 generate?

LA MUELA CORTES 1 generates about 1,774 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can LA MUELA CORTES 1 power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 507,000 homes.

Who operates LA MUELA CORTES 1?

LA MUELA CORTES 1 is operated by IBERDROLA GENERACION S.A..

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