MONTEZIC is a 910 MW hydro power station in Midi-Pyrenees, France. It is operated by EDF Energy Ltd [100%]. Based on reported annual generation of 1,542 GWh, it can supply roughly 441k homes. It ranks #29 of 2,216 France power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1982, it is around 44 years old — long-established. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 10.4% 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 WRI1002747.
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
Source of the capacity and fuel values:
capacity: GEM · 2026 · L100000601659; fuel: WRI GPPD
In context: how this plant compares
At 910 MW, MONTEZIC is well above the median hydro plant in France (5.3 MW). Technically it is described as pumped storage. 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.
Key facts
- Load factor
- 19%, from 1,542 GWh of reported generation; the median for 10 hydro plants in France that report generation is 14%
- Generation trend
- 1,157 GWh in 2015 and 1,542 GWh in 2017 (+33%)
- Highest and lowest year
- 2017: 1,542 GWh; 2016: 1,098 GWh
- Share of France hydro capacity
- 4.6% of 19,602 MW across 428 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 128 of 281 dated hydro plants in France are older
Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).
Reported generation trend
Annual generation (GWh), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Owner
Operated by EDF Energy Ltd [100%].
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 44.7°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.
Monthly mean temperature
Heating degree-days here run 17% 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: 59/100 — 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
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 #2 largest hydro power plant of 428 in France by capacity.
France has 428 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 19,602 MW of capacity.
Nearby power plants
Location
Coordinates 44.734, 2.641 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is MONTEZIC?
MONTEZIC is a 910 MW hydro power plant in Midi-Pyrenees, France, commissioned in 1982.
How much electricity does MONTEZIC generate?
MONTEZIC generates about 1,542 GWh of electricity per year.
Who operates MONTEZIC?
MONTEZIC is operated by EDF Energy Ltd [100%].