VALLE SECOLO is a 114 MW geothermal power station in Tuscany, Italy. Based on reported annual generation of 798 GWh, it can supply roughly 228k homes. It ranks #152 of 489 Italy power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1981, it is around 45 years old — long-established. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, geothermal supplies about 2.1% of Italy's electricity; the national grid averages 285 gCO₂/kWh (48.8% low-carbon) (2025).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1002978.
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 114 MW, VALLE SECOLO is well above the median geothermal plant in Italy (19 MW). Geothermal plants tap underground heat to raise steam for a turbine; they provide steady, low-carbon baseload but are limited to geologically active regions.
Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.
Key facts
- Load factor
- 80%, from 798 GWh of reported generation
- Generation trend
- 811 GWh in 2015 and 798 GWh in 2017 (−2%)
- Highest and lowest year
- 2016: 824 GWh; 2017: 798 GWh
- Share of Italy geothermal capacity
- 13.3% of 857 MW across 33 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 0 of 33 dated geothermal plants in Italy are older
Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).
Reported generation trend
Annual generation (GWh), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Local climate & thermal context
This geothermal plant taps underground heat to raise steam that drives a turbine. It sits in a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 42.2°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 41% 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 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 #1 largest geothermal power plant of 33 in Italy by capacity.
Italy has 33 geothermal power plants in this dataset, together about 857 MW of capacity.
Nearby power plants
- NUOVA GABBRO · Geothermal · 19 MW · Tuscany
- MdC ENEL · Solar · 6 MW · Latium
- ORSA MAGGIORE · Solar · 15 MW · Latium
- Montalto di Castro nuclear power plant · Nuclear · 2,018 MW · Viterbo
- MONTALTO (Alessandro Volta) · Gas · 3,446 MW · Latium
- MdC Octopus SW · Solar · 14 MW · Latium
Location
Coordinates 42.2362, 10.8674 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is VALLE SECOLO?
VALLE SECOLO is a 114 MW geothermal power plant in Tuscany, Italy, commissioned in 1981.
How much electricity does VALLE SECOLO generate?
VALLE SECOLO generates about 798 GWh of electricity per year.