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Lee

Hydro power plant in Munster, Ireland. Approximate location 51.8833, -8.6333.

HydroMunsterIreland

Lee is a 27 MW hydro power plant in Munster, Ireland. It is operated by ESBPG. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 27k homes (estimated). It ranks #60 of 76 Ireland power plants by installed capacity. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 2.1% of Ireland's electricity; the national grid averages 257 gCO₂/kWh (48.1% low-carbon) (2025).

27Legacy source-record capacity
27,030homes powered (est.)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1002829.

Data status

Known data

FacilityLee WRI
CountryIreland · Munster WRI
Coordinates51.8833, -8.6333 WRI
FuelHydro WRI
MW installed capacity27 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerESBPG WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#60 of 76 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#3 of 3 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent27,030 calculated
Climate10.0°C · HDD 2,923 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 29/100 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

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 Ireland

Turlough Hill: 292 MW292Turlough H…Ardnacrusha: 85 MW85ArdnacrushaLee: 27 MW27Lee

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

Owner

Operated by ESBPG.

Local climate & thermal context

This hydro plant converts the energy of falling or flowing water through hydro turbines. It sits in a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 51.9°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

10.0°Cannual mean temp
2,923heating degree-days (base 18°C)
0cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
79 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 6 °CJF: 6 °CFM: 7 °CMA: 8 °CAM: 11 °CMJ: 13 °CJJ: 15 °CJA: 15 °CAS: 13 °CSO: 11 °CON: 8 °CND: 7 °CD15 °C

Heating degree-days here run 19% 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: 60/100 — 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 humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C4ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
29/100environmental-severity index
9.2°Cseasonal temperature swing
16 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 #3 largest hydro power plant of 3 in Ireland by capacity.

Ireland has 3 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 404 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 51.8833, -8.6333 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Lee?

Lee is a 27 MW source-record hydro power plant in Munster, Ireland.

How many homes can Lee power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 27,030 homes (estimated).

Who operates Lee?

Lee is operated by ESBPG.

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