NARCEA GRUPO 3 — Spain

NARCEA GRUPO 3 is a 553.6 MW coal power station in Asturias, Spain. It is operated by GAS NATURAL FENOSA GENERACION S.L.U.. Based on reported annual generation of 1,156 GWh, it can supply roughly 330k homes. It ranks #55 of 899 Spain power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1984, it is around 42 years old — long-established. In context, coal supplies about 0.3% of Spain's electricity; the national grid averages 154 gCO₂/kWh (74.6% low-carbon) (2025).

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1006702.

Data provenance

Capacity and fuel are the upstream open-dataset record, not yet matched to a 2026 registry or GEM entry.

capacity: WRI GPPD; fuel: WRI GPPD

In context: how this plant compares

At 553.6 MW, NARCEA GRUPO 3 is around the median coal plant in Spain (515.6 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

Load factor

24%, from 1,156 GWh of reported generation; the median for 12 coal plants in Spain that report generation is 51%

Generation trend

1,694 GWh in 2015 and 1,156 GWh in 2017 (−32%)

Highest and lowest year

2015: 1,694 GWh; 2017: 1,156 GWh

Share of Spain coal capacity

4.5% of 12,360 MW across 24 plants in this dataset

Age among peers

12 of 23 dated coal plants in Spain 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 GAS NATURAL FENOSA GENERACION S.L.U.. All plants by this company →

Local climate & thermal context

This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 43.3°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 9% 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: 54/100 — 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 corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), with marine corrosion 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 #10 largest coal power plant of 24 in Spain by capacity.

Spain has 24 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 12,360 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

• P.E. PICO GALLO · Wind · 24.4 MW · Asturias
• P.E. SIERRA DE TINEO · Wind · 44 MW · Asturias
• P.E. BELMONTE · Wind · 34.9 MW · Asturias
• P.E. SIERRA DE LOS BAOS Y PUMAR · Wind · 30.6 MW · Asturias
• P. E. SIERRA DE LOS LAGOS · Wind · 38.9 MW · Asturias
• ARBON 2 · Hydro · 56 MW · Asturias

Location

Coordinates 43.2924, -6.3937 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions