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LUCY 3

Coal power plant in Bourgogne, France. Approximate location 46.667, 4.351.

CoalBourgogneFrancesubcriticalCO₂ measured

LUCY 3 is a 245 MW coal power station in Bourgogne, France. It is operated by E.ON France SAS. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 307k homes (estimated). It ranks #67 of 2,216 France power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1971, it is around 55 years old — an older, legacy facility. Its annual emissions of 7,019 t CO₂/yr (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)) are equivalent to about 1.6k cars driven for a year. In context, coal supplies about 0.3% of France's electricity; the national grid averages 41 gCO₂/kWh (94.9% low-carbon) (2025).

245Legacy source-record capacity
306,600homes powered (est.)
7,019t CO₂ / yr (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023))
1971commissioned (~55 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1002739.

Data status

Known data

FacilityLUCY 3 WRI
CountryFrance · Bourgogne WRI
Coordinates46.667, 4.351 WRI
FuelCoal WRI
MW installed capacity245 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerE.ON France SAS WRI
Commissioned1971 WRI
Technologysubcritical WRI
CO₂ emissions7,019 t CO₂/yr measured · EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#67 of 2216 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#10 of 14 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.45× · 540 MW median · 14 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent306,600 calculated
Climate10.2°C · HDD 2,893 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC2 · 26/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset

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 245 MW, LUCY 3 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.

7,019 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

1.6kpassenger cars driven for a year
915homes' yearly energy use
117ktree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

Equivalencies via US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies; emissions per EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023) (measured for US EPA/EU ETS, modelled for Climate TRACE).

Capacity vs largest coal plants in France

EMILE HUCHET: 1,527 MW2kEMILE HUCH…CORDEMAIS 4: 1,260 MW1kCORDEMAIS 4Blénod power station: 1,000 MW1kBlénod pow…PROVENCE 5: 595 MW595PROVENCE 5Bouchain power station: 585 MW585Bouchain p…HAVRE 4: 580 MW580HAVRE 4Vitry power station: 540 MW540Vitry powe…La Maxe power station: 485 MW485La Maxe po…

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

Owner

Operated by E.ON France SAS.

Local climate & thermal context

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 46.7°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

10.2°Cannual mean temp
2,893heating degree-days (base 18°C)
60cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
367 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 2 °CJF: 3 °CFM: 7 °CMA: 9 °CAM: 13 °CMJ: 16 °CJJ: 19 °CJA: 19 °CAS: 15 °CSO: 11 °CON: 6 °CND: 3 °CD19 °C

Heating degree-days here run 18% 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 mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — Low), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C2ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
26/100environmental-severity index
17.1°Cseasonal temperature swing
380 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 #10 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

Location

Coordinates 46.667, 4.351 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is LUCY 3?

LUCY 3 is a 245 MW source-record coal power plant in Bourgogne, France, commissioned in 1971.

How many homes can LUCY 3 power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 306,600 homes (estimated).

Who operates LUCY 3?

LUCY 3 is operated by E.ON France SAS.

How much CO₂ does LUCY 3 emit?

LUCY 3 has measured emissions of about 7,019 tonnes of CO₂ per year (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)).

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