Termoeléctrica de Mortágua is a 9 MW biomass power plant in Viseu, Portugal. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 12k homes (estimated). It ranks #219 of 480 Portugal power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1999, it is around 27 years old — long-established. In context, biomass supplies about 6.8% of Portugal's electricity; the national grid averages 128 gCO₂/kWh (81.0% low-carbon) (2025).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1022513.
Data status
Known data
Calculated from dataset
Not available
Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.
Data provenance
Capacity and fuel are the upstream open-dataset record, not yet matched to a 2026 registry or GEM entry.
capacity: WRI GPPD; fuel: WRI GPPD
In context: how this plant compares
At 9 MW, Termoeléctrica de Mortágua is below the median biomass plant in Portugal (12.5 MW). Biomass plants burn organic material such as wood, residues or waste-derived fuel to raise steam; they are dispatchable and counted as low-carbon where the feedstock is sustainably sourced.
Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.
Key facts
- Share of Portugal biomass capacity
- 2.0% of 453 MW across 19 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 4 of 19 dated biomass plants in Portugal are older
Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).
Capacity vs largest biomass plants in Portugal
Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Local climate & thermal context
This biomass plant burns organic material (wood, residues) to raise steam for a turbine. It sits in a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 40.4°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.
Monthly mean temperature
Heating degree-days here run 42% 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: 33/100 — this site sits in the bottom 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
This site sits in a moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.
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 #14 largest biomass power plant of 19 in Portugal by capacity.
Portugal has 19 biomass power plants in this dataset, together about 453 MW of capacity.
Nearby power plants
- Raiva · Hydro · 24 MW · Coimbra
- Penacova · Hydro · 9.6 MW · Coimbra
- Planalto Beirão (Aterro Sanitário) · Waste · 3.9 MW · Viseu
- Alto do Monção · Wind · 32 MW · Viseu
- Cadraço · Wind · 1.2 MW · Viseu
- Teixo · Hydro · 7 MW · Aveiro
Location
Coordinates 40.3778, -8.1864 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Termoeléctrica de Mortágua?
Termoeléctrica de Mortágua is a 9 MW biomass power plant in Viseu, Portugal, commissioned in 1999.