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Palas power station

Gas power plant in Constanta, Romania. Approximate location 44.1585, 28.60767.

GasConstantaRomaniaSteamCO₂ measured

Palas power station is a 255 MW gas power station in Constanta, Romania. It is operated by UAT Constanta. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 287k homes (estimated). It ranks #25 of 97 Romania power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1970, it is around 56 years old — an older, legacy facility. Its annual emissions of 110,847 t CO₂/yr (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)) are equivalent to about 26k cars driven for a year. In context, gas supplies about 18.7% of Romania's electricity; the national grid averages 251 gCO₂/kWh (67.5% low-carbon) (2025).

255MW installed capacity
287,202homes powered (est.)
110,847t CO₂ / yr (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023))
1970commissioned (~56 yrs)

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

Data status

Known data

FacilityPalas power station GEM-GOGPT
CountryRomania · Constanta GEM-GOGPT
Coordinates44.1585, 28.60767 GEM-GOGPT
FuelGas GEM-GOGPT
MW installed capacity255 MW GEM GOGPT; source record
OwnerUAT Constanta GEM-GOGPT
Commissioned1970 GEM-GOGPT
TechnologySteam GEM-GOGPT
CO₂ emissions110,847 t CO₂·a⁻¹ measured · EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#25 / 97 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#10 / 26 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.27× · 200 MW · n=26 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent287,202 calculated
Environmental severityC4 · 40/100 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.

Capacity provenance

The public capacity above is the current source-record value. A 2026 tracker candidate lists 100 MW for Palas power station, but it is not used as the public primary value until scope is verified (unit vs operating vs installed/project total).

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: GEM GOGPT; fuel: GEM GOGPT

In context: how this plant compares

At 255 MW, Palas power station is well above the median gas plant in Romania (200 MW). Technically it is described as Steam. Gas plants burn natural gas either in open-cycle turbines for fast peaking, or in combined-cycle units that recover exhaust heat in an HRSG to reach roughly 55–62% efficiency — the cleanest-burning fossil option.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

110,847 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

26kpassenger cars driven for a year
14khomes' yearly energy use
1.8 milliontree 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 gas plants in Romania

TPP CCCC Petrom Brazi: 920 MW920TPP CCCC P…TPP Iernut: 751 MW751TPP IernutHefaistos power station: 500 MW500Hefaistos …Bucharest-Vest power station: 436 MW436Bucharest-…TPP Braila: 413 MW413TPP BrailaTPP Galati: 375 MW375TPP GalatiTPP Bucuresti Vest: 298 MW298TPP Bucure…Craiova II power station: 295 MW295Craiova II…

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

Owner

Operated by UAT Constanta.

Climate zone & how it works

This gas plant burns natural gas in a turbine — often in a combined-cycle setup — to generate electricity. It sits in a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 44.2°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

~18°Ctypical annual mean
~27°Ctypical warm-season mean
Humid subtropical: four distinct seasons — cold winters and warm summers

Climate zone & typical temperatures: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid).

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)
40/100environmental-severity index
23.1°Cseasonal temperature swing
15 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 gas power plant of 26 in Romania by capacity.

Romania has 26 gas power plants in this dataset, together about 6,358 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 44.1585, 28.60767 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Palas power station?

Palas power station is a 255 MW gas power plant in Constanta, Romania, commissioned in 1970.

How many homes can Palas power station power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 287,202 homes (estimated).

Who operates Palas power station?

Palas power station is operated by UAT Constanta.

How much CO₂ does Palas power station emit?

Palas power station has measured emissions of about 110,847 tonnes of CO₂ per year (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)).

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