Loire-Sur-Rhone power station is a 250 MW coal power station in Isère, France. It is operated by Electricité de France SA [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 313k homes (estimated). It ranks #65 of 2,216 France power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1968, it is around 58 years old — an older, legacy facility. In context, coal supplies about 0.3% of France's electricity; the national grid averages 41 gCO₂/kWh (94.9% low-carbon) (2025).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id GEM_coa_loiresurrhone_franc.
Data status
Known data
Calculated from dataset
Not available
Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.
Data provenance
Capacity and fuel are the upstream open-dataset record, not yet matched to a 2026 registry or GEM entry.
capacity: GEM GCPT; fuel: GEM GCPT
In context: how this plant compares
At 250 MW, Loire-Sur-Rhone power station is below the median coal plant in France (540 MW). Technically it is described as subcritical. 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.
Key facts
- Share of France coal capacity
- 3.3% of 7,595 MW across 14 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 2 of 10 dated coal plants in France are older
Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).
Capacity vs largest coal plants in France
Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Owner
Operated by Electricité de France SA [100%].
Climate zone & how it works
This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 45.8°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.
Climate zone & typical temperatures: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid).
Site climate & environmental severity
This site sits in a mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — Low), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.
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 #9 largest coal power plant of 14 in France by capacity.
France has 14 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 7,595 MW of capacity.
Nearby power plants
- Superphénix nuclear power plant · Nuclear · 1,242 MW · Isère
- Sault Brenaz · Hydro · 45 MW · Rhone-Alpes
- Bregnier-Cordon · Hydro · 70 MW · Rhone-Alpes
- BUGEY · Nuclear · 3,724 MW · Rhone-Alpes
- Brens-Virigin · Hydro · 90 MW · Rhone-Alpes
- Artemare · Hydro · 4.6 MW · Rhone-Alpes
Location
Coordinates 45.751725, 5.473713 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Loire-Sur-Rhone power station?
Loire-Sur-Rhone power station is a 250 MW coal power plant in Isère, France, commissioned in 1968.
Who operates Loire-Sur-Rhone power station?
Loire-Sur-Rhone power station is operated by Electricité de France SA [100%].