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TARRAGONA

Gas power plant in Catalonia, Spain. Approximate location 41.1081, 1.1912.

GasCataloniaSpainCCGT · HRSGCO₂ measured

TARRAGONA is a 803 MW gas power station in Catalonia, Spain. It is operated by TARRAGONA POWER S.L.. Based on reported annual generation of 544 GWh, it can supply roughly 155k homes. It ranks #34 of 899 Spain power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2004, it is around 22 years old — relatively modern. Its annual emissions of 202,344 t CO₂/yr (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)) are equivalent to about 47k 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).

803Legacy source-record capacity
1HRSG unit(s)
544GWh reported / yr
155,457homes powered
202,344t CO₂ / yr (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023))
2004commissioned (~22 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1007956.

Data status

Known data

FacilityTARRAGONA WRI
CountrySpain · Catalonia WRI
Coordinates41.1081, 1.1912 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity803 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerTARRAGONA POWER S.L. WRI
Commissioned2004 WRI
TechnologyCCGT · HRSG WRI
GWh reported / yr544 GWh/yr WRI
CO₂ emissions202,344 t CO₂/yr measured · EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#34 of 899 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#16 of 95 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers14.87× · 54 MW median · 95 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent155,457 calculated from reported generation
Climate15.8°C · HDD 1,322 derived from coordinates
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 417 MW for Tarragona power station, but it is not used as the public primary value until scope is verified (unit vs operating vs installed/project total).

Capacity claim grade: B_SCOPE_PARENT_COMPLEX - recommended action: build_parent_complex_model - confidence: not_comparable_without_scope. This follows a claim-based data model: value + scope + source + confidence, rather than silently overwriting records.

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: WRI Global Power Plant Database source-record (legacy); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 803 MW, TARRAGONA 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.

202,344 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

47kpassenger cars driven for a year
26khomes' yearly energy use
3.4 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).

Reported generation trend

2015: 443 GWh20152016: 420 GWh20162017: 544 GWh2017544 GWh

Annual generation (GWh), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by TARRAGONA POWER S.L..

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 41.1°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

15.8°Cannual mean temp
1,322heating degree-days (base 18°C)
520cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
51 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 9 °CJF: 10 °CFM: 12 °CMA: 13 °CAM: 17 °CMJ: 20 °CJJ: 23 °CJA: 24 °CAS: 21 °CSO: 17 °CON: 12 °CND: 10 °CD24 °C

Heating degree-days here run 46% 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: 31/100 — this site sits in the bottom third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

A gas turbine here also runs ~1% 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)
40/100environmental-severity index
14.9°Cseasonal temperature swing
25 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 #16 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 41.1081, 1.1912 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is TARRAGONA?

TARRAGONA is a 803 MW source-record gas power plant in Catalonia, Spain, commissioned in 2004.

How much electricity does TARRAGONA generate?

TARRAGONA generates about 544 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can TARRAGONA power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 155,457 homes.

Who operates TARRAGONA?

TARRAGONA is operated by TARRAGONA POWER S.L..

How much CO₂ does TARRAGONA emit?

TARRAGONA has measured emissions of about 202,344 tonnes of CO₂ per year (EU ETS verified (EUTL 2023)).

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