Vale do Gaio is a 1 MW hydro power plant in Setubal, Portugal. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 1.0k homes (estimated). It ranks #479 of 480 Portugal power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1949, it is around 77 years old — an older, legacy facility. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 29.7% 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 WRI1022812.
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 1 MW, Vale do Gaio is below the median hydro plant in Portugal (4.7 MW). Hydropower converts the energy of falling or flowing water into electricity; output depends on rainfall and reservoir level, and large dams also provide grid balancing and storage.
Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.
Key facts
- Share of Portugal hydro capacity
- less than 0.1% of 2,718 MW across 122 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 12 of 122 dated hydro 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 hydro plants in Portugal
Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Local climate & thermal context
This hydro plant converts the energy of falling or flowing water through hydro turbines. It sits in a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 38.2°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 59% 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: 26/100 — 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 an aggressive, high-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C5 — Very high), with marine salt corrosion 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 #122 largest hydro power plant of 122 in Portugal by capacity.
Portugal has 122 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 2,718 MW of capacity.
Nearby power plants
- Odivelas · Hydro · 2.5 MW · Beja
- Malhada Velha · Solar · 1 MW · Beja
- Malhada Velha 2 · Solar · 9 MW · Beja
- Pego do Altar · Hydro · 2 MW · Setubal
- Vale Matancas · Solar · 7.2 MW · Setubal
- Ferreira do Alentejo · Solar · 10 MW · Beja
Location
Coordinates 38.2478, -8.2951 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Vale do Gaio?
Vale do Gaio is a 1 MW hydro power plant in Setubal, Portugal, commissioned in 1949.