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Refineria La Rabida power station

Gas power plant in Andalusia, Spain. Approximate location 37.1815, -6.8939.

GasAndalusiaSpainCCGT · HRSGCO₂ modelled

Refineria La Rabida power station is a 133 MW gas power station in Andalusia, Spain. It is operated by Compañía Española de Petróleos SA. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 150k homes (estimated). It ranks #118 of 899 Spain power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1990, it is around 36 years old — long-established. Its modelled annual emissions are 105,674 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 25k cars driven for a year. In context, gas supplies about 21.6% of Spain's electricity; the national grid averages 154 gCO₂/kWh (74.6% low-carbon) (2025).

133Source-backed capacity
1HRSG unit(s)
149,796homes powered (est.)
105,674t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)
1990commissioned (~36 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id CT-270.

Data status

Known data

FacilityRefineria La Rabida power station Climate TRACE
CountrySpain · Andalusia Climate TRACE
Coordinates37.1815, -6.8939 Climate TRACE
FuelGas Climate TRACE
MW installed capacity133 MW Climate TRACE source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerCompañía Española de Petróleos SA Climate TRACE
Commissioned1990 Climate TRACE
TechnologyCCGT · HRSG Climate TRACE

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions105,674 t CO₂/yr modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#118 of 899 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#39 of 95 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers2.46× · 54 MW median · 95 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent149,796 calculated
Climate18.1°C · HDD 794 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 43/100 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/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 operating-unit sum (location L100000400705); fuel: Climate TRACE source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 133 MW, Refineria La Rabida power station is well above the median gas plant in Spain (54 MW). Technically it is described as CCGT; combined-cycle with a heat-recovery steam generator (HRSG). 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.

~105,674 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

25kpassenger 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; modelled emissions from Climate TRACE.

Capacity vs largest gas plants in Spain

BESOS GRUPO 5: 1,671 MW2kBESOS GRU…ARCOS DE LA FRONTERA GRUPO 1: 1,585 MW2kARCOS DE L…CARTAGENA GRUPO 1: 1,249 MW1kCARTAGENA …Cartagena (Escombreras) power station: 1,249 MW1kCartagena …CCC SAGUNTO GRUPO 2: 1,232 MW1kCCC SAGUNT…ESCOMBRERAS GRUPO 1: 1,199 MW1kESCOMBRERA…El Fangal power station: 1,199 MW1kEl Fangal …PALOS DE LA FRONTERA GRUPO 1: 1,167 MW1kPALOS DE L…

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

Owner

Operated by Compañía Española de Petróleos SA.

Local climate & thermal context

This gas plant burns natural gas in a turbine — often in a combined-cycle setup — to generate electricity. It sits in a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 37.2°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

18.1°Cannual mean temp
794heating degree-days (base 18°C)
826cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
17 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 11 °CJF: 12 °CFM: 14 °CMA: 16 °CAM: 19 °CMJ: 22 °CJJ: 25 °CJA: 25 °CAS: 23 °CSO: 20 °CON: 15 °CND: 12 °CD25 °C

Heating degree-days here run 68% 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: 24/100 — this site sits in the bottom third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

A gas turbine here also runs ~2% below its ISO (15°C) rating at this annual mean (typical CCGT curve, estimate).

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 marine corrosion the leading environmental stress.

C4ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
43/100environmental-severity index
14.1°Cseasonal temperature swing
17 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 #39 largest gas power plant of 95 in Spain by capacity.

Spain has 95 gas power plants in this dataset, together about 32,018 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 37.1815, -6.8939 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Refineria La Rabida power station?

Refineria La Rabida power station is a 133 MW source-record gas power plant in Andalusia, Spain, commissioned in 1990.

How many homes can Refineria La Rabida power station power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 149,796 homes (estimated).

Who operates Refineria La Rabida power station?

Refineria La Rabida power station is operated by Compañía Española de Petróleos SA.

How much CO₂ does Refineria La Rabida power station emit?

Refineria La Rabida power station has modelled emissions of about 105,674 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

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