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São Paio

Wind power plant in Viana do Castelo, Portugal. Approximate location 41.9125, -8.7113.

WindViana do CasteloPortugalOnshore

São Paio is a 10 MW wind power plant in Viana do Castelo, Portugal. It is operated by EDF Renewables [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 8.5k homes (estimated). It ranks #203 of 480 Portugal power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2005, it is around 21 years old — relatively modern. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, wind supplies about 26.7% of Portugal's electricity; the national grid averages 128 gCO₂/kWh (81.0% low-carbon) (2025).

10Source-backed capacity
8,509homes powered (est.)
2005commissioned (~21 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1023443.

Data status

Known data

FacilitySão Paio WRI
CountryPortugal · Viana do Castelo WRI
Coordinates41.9125, -8.7113 WRI
FuelWind WRI
MW installed capacity10 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerEDF Renewables [100%] WRI
Commissioned2005 WRI
TechnologyOnshore WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#203 of 480 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#127 of 224 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.87× · 12 MW median · 224 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent8,509 calculated
Climate13.8°C · HDD 1,605 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 35/100 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 L100000908144); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 10 MW, São Paio is below the median wind plant in Portugal (12 MW). Technically it is described as Onshore. Wind turbines convert moving air into electricity; output is variable and site-dependent, and modern turbines deliver some of the lowest-cost new generation on many grids.

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

Capacity vs largest wind plants in Portugal

Alto Minho I: 240 MW240Alto Minho…Alto Douro: 216 MW216Alto DouroAlto da Coutada: 188 MW188Alto da Co…Pinhal Interior: 157 MW157Pinhal Int…Gardunha: 135 MW135GardunhaPenamacor: 132 MW132PenamacorTerras Altas de Fafe: 124 MW124Terras Alt…Toutiço: 124 MW124Toutiço

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

Owner

Operated by EDF Renewables [100%].

Local climate & thermal context

This wind plant converts the kinetic energy of wind into electricity through turbine rotors. It sits in a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 41.9°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

13.8°Cannual mean temp
1,605heating degree-days (base 18°C)
93cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
189 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 9 °CJF: 9 °CFM: 11 °CMA: 12 °CAM: 15 °CMJ: 18 °CJJ: 20 °CJA: 19 °CAS: 18 °CSO: 15 °CON: 11 °CND: 9 °CD20 °C

Heating degree-days here run 35% 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: 36/100 — 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 marine corrosion the leading environmental stress.

C4ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
35/100environmental-severity index
11.0°Cseasonal temperature swing
35 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 #127 largest wind power plant of 224 in Portugal by capacity.

Portugal has 224 wind power plants in this dataset, together about 5,055 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 41.9125, -8.7113 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is São Paio?

São Paio is a 10 MW source-record wind power plant in Viana do Castelo, Portugal, commissioned in 2005.

How many homes can São Paio power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 8,509 homes (estimated).

Who operates São Paio?

São Paio is operated by EDF Renewables [100%].

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