Home / Europe / Italy / PORTO MARGHERA ALSAR

PORTO MARGHERA ALSAR

Coal power plant in Veneto, Italy. Approximate location 45.4591, 12.2318.

CoalVenetoItalysubcriticalCO₂ modelled

PORTO MARGHERA ALSAR is a 160 MW coal power station in Veneto, Italy. It is operated by Enel SpA [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 200k homes (estimated). It ranks #120 of 489 Italy power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1952, it is around 74 years old — an older, legacy facility. Its modelled annual emissions are 271,620 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 63k cars driven for a year. In context, coal supplies about 1.4% of Italy's electricity; the national grid averages 285 gCO₂/kWh (48.8% low-carbon) (2025).

160Legacy source-record capacity
200,228homes powered (est.)
271,620t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)
1952commissioned (~74 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id CT-209.

Data status

Known data

FacilityPORTO MARGHERA ALSAR Climate TRACE
CountryItaly · Veneto Climate TRACE
Coordinates45.4591, 12.2318 Climate TRACE
FuelCoal Climate TRACE
MW installed capacity160 MW Climate TRACE source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerEnel SpA [100%] Climate TRACE
Commissioned1952 Climate TRACE
Technologysubcritical Climate TRACE

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions271,620 t CO₂/yr modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#120 of 489 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#13 of 16 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.25× · 640 MW median · 16 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent200,228 calculated
Climate13.2°C · HDD 2,186 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 41/100 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: Climate TRACE source-record capacity (modelled/legacy); fuel: Climate TRACE source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 160 MW, PORTO MARGHERA ALSAR is below the median coal plant in Italy (640 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.

~271,620 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

63kpassenger cars driven for a year
35khomes' yearly energy use
4.5 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

Equivalencies via US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies; modelled emissions from Climate TRACE.

Capacity vs largest coal plants in Italy

Brindisi Sud power station: 2,640 MW3kBrindisi S…Torrevaldaliga Nord power station: 1,980 MW2kTorrevalda…Saline Joniche Power Station: 1,320 MW1kSaline Jon…La Spezia power station: 1,300 MW1kLa Spezia …Andrea Palladio power station (FUSINA): 976 MW976Andrea Pal…Piombino power station: 900 MW900Piombino p…Rossano Calabro power station: 800 MW800Rossano Ca…Brindisi Nord power station: 640 MW640Brindisi N…

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

Owner

Operated by Enel SpA [100%].

Local climate & thermal context

This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 45.5°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

13.2°Cannual mean temp
2,186heating degree-days (base 18°C)
457cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
0 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 3 °CJF: 5 °CFM: 8 °CMA: 12 °CAM: 17 °CMJ: 21 °CJJ: 24 °CJA: 23 °CAS: 19 °CSO: 14 °CON: 8 °CND: 4 °CD24 °C

Heating degree-days here run 11% below 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: 46/100 — 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 corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C4ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
41/100environmental-severity index
20.5°Cseasonal temperature swing
46 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 #13 largest coal power plant of 16 in Italy by capacity.

Italy has 16 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 12,942 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 45.4591, 12.2318 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is PORTO MARGHERA ALSAR?

PORTO MARGHERA ALSAR is a 160 MW source-record coal power plant in Veneto, Italy, commissioned in 1952.

How many homes can PORTO MARGHERA ALSAR power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 200,228 homes (estimated).

Who operates PORTO MARGHERA ALSAR?

PORTO MARGHERA ALSAR is operated by Enel SpA [100%].

How much CO₂ does PORTO MARGHERA ALSAR emit?

PORTO MARGHERA ALSAR has modelled emissions of about 271,620 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

Built from open public data; no personal information. Operate this site? Request a correction or removal.