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Lemóniz nuclear power plant

Nuclear power plant in Biscay, Spain. Approximate location 43.4333, -2.8726.

NuclearBiscaySpainpressurized water reactor

Lemóniz nuclear power plant is a 1,860 MW nuclear power station in Biscay, Spain. It is operated by Iberdrola SA [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 4.2 million homes (estimated). It ranks #3 of 899 Spain power plants by installed capacity. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, nuclear supplies about 18.8% of Spain's electricity; the national grid averages 154 gCO₂/kWh (74.6% low-carbon) (2025).

1,860MW installed capacity
4,189,782homes powered (est.)

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

Data status

Known data

FacilityLemóniz nuclear power plant GEM-nuclear
CountrySpain · Biscay GEM-nuclear
Coordinates43.4333, -2.8726 GEM-nuclear
FuelNuclear GEM-nuclear
MW installed capacity1,860 MW GEM GNPT; source record
OwnerIberdrola SA [100%] GEM-nuclear
Technologypressurized water reactor GEM-nuclear

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#3 / 899 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#3 / 10 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.71× · 1,087 MW · n=10 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent4,189,782 calculated
Environmental severityC4 · 35/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

CommissionedNot 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: GEM GNPT; fuel: GEM GNPT

In context: how this plant compares

At 1,860 MW, Lemóniz nuclear power plant is well above the median nuclear plant in Spain (1,087 MW). Technically it is described as pressurized water reactor. Nuclear plants split uranium to raise steam with no direct CO₂; they run as steady baseload with very high capacity factors and the longest operating lifetimes of any thermal plant.

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

Capacity vs largest nuclear plants in Spain

CN ALMARAZ 1: 2,093 MW2kCN ALMARAZ…ASCO GR: 2,060 MW2kASCO GRLemóniz nuclear power plant: 1,860 MW2kLemóniz nu…CN COFRENTES: 1,102 MW1kCN COFRENT…VANDELLOS GR 2: 1,087 MW1kVANDELLOS …Sayago nuclear power plant: 1,075 MW1kSayago nuc…TRILLO: 1,066 MW1kTRILLORegodola nuclear power plant: 1,000 MW1kRegodola n…

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

Owner

Operated by Iberdrola SA [100%].

Climate zone & how it works

This nuclear plant uses heat from nuclear fission to raise steam for a turbine-generator. It sits in a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 43.4°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

~11°Ctypical annual mean
~18°Ctypical warm-season mean
Temperate oceanic: four distinct seasons — cold winters and warm summers

Climate zone & typical temperatures: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid).

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)
35/100environmental-severity index
11.6°Cseasonal temperature swing
18 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 nuclear power plant of 10 in Spain by capacity.

Spain has 10 nuclear power plants in this dataset, together about 11,969 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 43.4333, -2.8726 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Lemóniz nuclear power plant?

Lemóniz nuclear power plant is a 1,860 MW nuclear power plant in Biscay, Spain.

How many homes can Lemóniz nuclear power plant power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 4,189,782 homes (estimated).

Who operates Lemóniz nuclear power plant?

Lemóniz nuclear power plant is operated by Iberdrola SA [100%].

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