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Llyn Brianne Dam

Hydro power plant in Wales, United Kingdom. Approximate location 52.1203, -3.7699.

HydroWalesUnited Kingdom

Llyn Brianne Dam is a 4 MW hydro power plant in Wales, United Kingdom. It is operated by Dwr Cymru Welsh Water. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 4.4k homes (estimated). It ranks #1869 of 2,860 United Kingdom power plants by installed capacity. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 1.9% of United Kingdom's electricity; the national grid averages 217 gCO₂/kWh (64.4% low-carbon) (2025).

4Legacy source-record capacity
4,405homes powered (est.)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id GBR0000415.

Data status

Known data

FacilityLlyn Brianne Dam WRI
CountryUnited Kingdom · Wales WRI
Coordinates52.1203, -3.7699 WRI
FuelHydro WRI
MW installed capacity4 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerDwr Cymru Welsh Water WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#1869 of 2860 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#47 of 118 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.47× · 3 MW median · 118 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent4,405 calculated
Climate8.4°C · HDD 3,490 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

At 4 MW, Llyn Brianne Dam is well above the median hydro plant in United Kingdom (3 MW). 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 United Kingdom

Dinorwig: 1,800 MW2kDinorwigDinorwig: 1,728 MW2kDinorwigCruachan: 440 MW440CruachanFfestiniog: 384 MW384FfestiniogFoyers: 300 MW300FoyersSloy: 153 MW153SloyGlendoe: 100 MW100GlendoeClunie: 61 MW61Clunie

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

Owner

Operated by Dwr Cymru Welsh Water.

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 52.1°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

8.4°Cannual mean temp
3,490heating degree-days (base 18°C)
0cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
286 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 4 °CJF: 3 °CFM: 5 °CMA: 6 °CAM: 10 °CMJ: 12 °CJJ: 14 °CJA: 14 °CAS: 12 °CSO: 9 °CON: 6 °CND: 4 °CD14 °C

Heating degree-days here run 42% 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: 75/100 — 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

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
11.2°Cseasonal temperature swing
43 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 #47 largest hydro power plant of 118 in United Kingdom by capacity.

United Kingdom has 118 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 5,950 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 52.1203, -3.7699 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Llyn Brianne Dam?

Llyn Brianne Dam is a 4 MW source-record hydro power plant in Wales, United Kingdom.

How many homes can Llyn Brianne Dam power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 4,405 homes (estimated).

Who operates Llyn Brianne Dam?

Llyn Brianne Dam is operated by Dwr Cymru Welsh Water.

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