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VALPELLINE

Hydro power plant in Aosta Valley, Italy. Approximate location 45.8249, 7.3255.

HydroAosta ValleyItalyconventional storage

VALPELLINE is a 130 MW hydro power station in Aosta Valley, Italy. It is operated by CVA SpA [100%]. Based on reported annual generation of 279 GWh, it can supply roughly 80k homes. It ranks #141 of 489 Italy power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1951, it is around 75 years old — an older, legacy facility. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 15.8% of Italy's electricity; the national grid averages 285 gCO₂/kWh (48.8% low-carbon) (2025).

130Source-backed capacity
279GWh reported / yr
79,742homes powered
1951commissioned (~75 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1002979.

Data status

Known data

FacilityVALPELLINE WRI
CountryItaly · Aosta Valley WRI
Coordinates45.8249, 7.3255 WRI
FuelHydro WRI
MW installed capacity130 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerCVA SpA [100%] WRI
Commissioned1951 WRI
Technologyconventional storage WRI
GWh reported / yr279 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#141 of 489 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#31 of 58 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.98× · 132 MW median · 58 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent79,742 calculated from reported generation
Climate4.5°C · HDD 4,901 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC1 · 17/100 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 L100000602238); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 130 MW, VALPELLINE is around the median hydro plant in Italy (132 MW). Technically it is described as conventional storage. 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.

Reported generation trend

2015: 390 GWh20152016: 324 GWh20162017: 279 GWh2017390 GWh

Annual generation (GWh), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by CVA SpA [100%].

Local climate & thermal context

This hydro plant converts the energy of falling or flowing water through hydro turbines. It sits in a polar tundra climate (Köppen ET) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 45.8°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

4.5°Cannual mean temp
4,901heating degree-days (base 18°C)
0cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
1,701 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -3 °CJF: -2 °CFM: 0 °CMA: 2 °CAM: 7 °CMJ: 10 °CJJ: 13 °CJA: 14 °CAS: 10 °CSO: 6 °CON: 1 °CND: -2 °CD14 °C

Heating degree-days here run 99% 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: 93/100 — this site sits in the top 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 benign, low-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C1 — Very low), with thermal cycling the leading environmental stress.

C1ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
17/100environmental-severity index
16.4°Cseasonal temperature swing
207 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 #31 largest hydro power plant of 58 in Italy by capacity.

Italy has 58 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 13,593 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 45.8249, 7.3255 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is VALPELLINE?

VALPELLINE is a 130 MW source-record hydro power plant in Aosta Valley, Italy, commissioned in 1951.

How much electricity does VALPELLINE generate?

VALPELLINE generates about 279 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can VALPELLINE power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 79,742 homes.

Who operates VALPELLINE?

VALPELLINE is operated by CVA SpA [100%].

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