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TOPLO RUSE

Coal power plant in Stara Zagora, Bulgaria. Approximate location 42.2569, 26.136.

CoalStara ZagoraBulgaria

TOPLO RUSE is a 110 MW coal power station in Stara Zagora, Bulgaria. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 138k homes (estimated). It ranks #28 of 55 Bulgaria power plants by installed capacity. In context, coal supplies about 22.5% of Bulgaria's electricity; the national grid averages 276 gCO₂/kWh (71.9% low-carbon) (2025).

110Legacy source-record capacity
137,657homes powered (est.)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1008059.

Data status

Known data

FacilityTOPLO RUSE WRI
CountryBulgaria · Stara Zagora WRI
Coordinates42.2569, 26.136 WRI
FuelCoal WRI
MW installed capacity110 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions481,800 t CO₂/yr calculated
Capacity rank in country#28 of 55 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#12 of 14 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.61× · 180 MW median · 14 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent137,657 calculated
Climate12.4°C · HDD 2,438 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 36/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

OwnerNot available not in dataset
CommissionedNot available not in dataset
TechnologyNot available not in dataset
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: WRI Global Power Plant Database source-record (legacy); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 110 MW, TOPLO RUSE is below the median coal plant in Bulgaria (180 MW). 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.

Capacity vs largest coal plants in Bulgaria

Maritsa Itzok-2 power station: 1,602 MW2kMaritsa It…Maritsa Itzok-3 power station: 908 MW908Maritsa It…AES Galabovo: 690 MW690AES Galabo…Bobov Dol power station: 630 MW630Bobov Dol …Lom Power Station: 400 MW400Lom Power …Brikel power station: 200 MW200Brikel pow…RUSE: 180 MW180RUSEDeven power station: 174 MW174Deven powe…

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

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 42.3°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

12.4°Cannual mean temp
2,438heating degree-days (base 18°C)
421cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
201 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 1 °CJF: 3 °CFM: 7 °CMA: 12 °CAM: 17 °CMJ: 21 °CJJ: 23 °CJA: 23 °CAS: 19 °CSO: 13 °CON: 8 °CND: 3 °CD23 °C

Heating degree-days here run 1% 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: 50/100 — 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 moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C3ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
36/100environmental-severity index
21.8°Cseasonal temperature swing
140 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 #12 largest coal power plant of 14 in Bulgaria by capacity.

Bulgaria has 14 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 5,419 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 42.2569, 26.136 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is TOPLO RUSE?

TOPLO RUSE is a 110 MW source-record coal power plant in Stara Zagora, Bulgaria.

How many homes can TOPLO RUSE power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 137,657 homes (estimated).

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