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PASSY

Hydro power plant in Rhone-Alpes, France. Approximate location 45.9203, 6.6877.

HydroRhone-AlpesFrancerun-of-river

PASSY is a 104 MW hydro power station in Rhone-Alpes, France. It is operated by EDF Energy Ltd [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 104k homes (estimated). It ranks #112 of 2,216 France power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1951, it is around 75 years old — an older, legacy facility. 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).

104Source-backed capacity
104,118homes powered (est.)
1951commissioned (~75 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1002753.

Data status

Known data

FacilityPASSY WRI
CountryFrance · Rhone-Alpes WRI
Coordinates45.9203, 6.6877 WRI
FuelHydro WRI
MW installed capacity104 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerEDF Energy Ltd [100%] WRI
Commissioned1951 WRI
Technologyrun-of-river WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#112 of 2216 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#51 of 428 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers19.62× · 5 MW median · 428 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent104,118 calculated
Climate4.4°C · HDD 4,963 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC2 · 23/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset
CO₂ emissionsnot applicable not applicable

Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.

Data provenance

The capacity and/or fuel fields on this page include a source-backed provenance label from GEM, an official registry, Wikidata, OSM, or a cross-source match.

capacity: GEM tracker 2026 (location L100000601664); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 104 MW, PASSY is well above the median hydro plant in France (5 MW). Technically it is described as run-of-river. 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.

Capacity vs largest hydro plants in France

GRAND MAISON: 1,713 MW2kGRAND MAIS…MONTEZIC: 910 MW910MONTEZICREVIN: 808 MW808REVINSUPER BISSORTE: 742 MW742SUPER BISS…BATHIE: 600 MW600BATHIECHEYLAS: 485 MW485CHEYLASPOUGET: 447 MW447POUGETGENISSIAT: 420 MW420GENISSIAT

Installed capacity (MW), 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 subarctic (boreal) climate (Köppen Dfc) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 45.9°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

4.4°Cannual mean temp
4,963heating degree-days (base 18°C)
0cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
1,624 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -3 °CJF: -3 °CFM: -1 °CMA: 2 °CAM: 7 °CMJ: 10 °CJJ: 13 °CJA: 13 °CAS: 10 °CSO: 6 °CON: 1 °CND: -2 °CD13 °C

Heating degree-days here run 102% 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: 94/100 — this site sits in the top 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)
23/100environmental-severity index
16.5°Cseasonal temperature swing
229 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 #51 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 45.9203, 6.6877 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is PASSY?

PASSY is a 104 MW source-record hydro power plant in Rhone-Alpes, France, commissioned in 1951.

How many homes can PASSY power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 104,118 homes (estimated).

Who operates PASSY?

PASSY is operated by EDF Energy Ltd [100%].

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