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Valea Nucarilor

Wind power plant in Tulcea, Romania. Approximate location 45.0451, 28.9607.

WindTulceaRomaniaOnshore

Valea Nucarilor is a 70 MW wind power plant in Tulcea, Romania. It is operated by ENEL GreenPower. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 60k homes (estimated). It ranks #53 of 97 Romania power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2011, it is around 15 years old — relatively modern. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, wind supplies about 12.0% of Romania's electricity; the national grid averages 251 gCO₂/kWh (67.5% low-carbon) (2025).

70Source-backed capacity
59,568homes powered (est.)
2011commissioned (~15 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1022119.

Data status

Known data

FacilityValea Nucarilor WRI
CountryRomania · Tulcea WRI
Coordinates45.0451, 28.9607 WRI
FuelWind WRI
MW installed capacity70 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerENEL GreenPower WRI
Commissioned2011 WRI
TechnologyOnshore WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#53 of 97 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#3 of 3 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent59,568 calculated
Climate11.3°C · HDD 2,762 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 40/100 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 L100000915431); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

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 Romania

WPP Cogealac: 252 MW252WPP Cogeal…Sălbatica I: 70 MW70Sălbatica IValea Nucarilor: 70 MW70Valea Nuca…

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

Owner

Operated by ENEL GreenPower.

Local climate & thermal context

This wind plant converts the kinetic energy of wind into electricity through turbine rotors. It sits in a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 45.0°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

11.3°Cannual mean temp
2,762heating degree-days (base 18°C)
336cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
0 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 0 °CJF: 2 °CFM: 5 °CMA: 10 °CAM: 16 °CMJ: 20 °CJJ: 23 °CJA: 22 °CAS: 18 °CSO: 12 °CON: 6 °CND: 2 °CD23 °C

Heating degree-days here run 12% above 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: 56/100 — 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 humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C4ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
40/100environmental-severity index
22.3°Cseasonal temperature swing
43 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 #3 largest wind power plant of 3 in Romania by capacity.

Romania has 3 wind power plants in this dataset, together about 392 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 45.0451, 28.9607 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Valea Nucarilor?

Valea Nucarilor is a 70 MW source-record wind power plant in Tulcea, Romania, commissioned in 2011.

How many homes can Valea Nucarilor power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 59,568 homes (estimated).

Who operates Valea Nucarilor?

Valea Nucarilor is operated by ENEL GreenPower.

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