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Varna power station

Gas power plant in Varna, Bulgaria. Approximate location 43.19477, 27.765472.

GasVarnaBulgariaCCGT · HRSGSiemens Energy: SGT5-2000E

Varna power station is a 1,180 MW gas power station in Varna, Bulgaria. It is operated by TPP Varna EAD [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 1.3 million homes (estimated). It ranks #4 of 55 Bulgaria power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2019, it is around 7 years old — recently built. In context, gas supplies about 4.9% of Bulgaria's electricity; the national grid averages 276 gCO₂/kWh (71.9% low-carbon) (2025).

1,180MW installed capacity
2HRSG unit(s)
1,329,017homes powered (est.)
2019commissioned (~7 yrs)

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

Data status

Known data

FacilityVarna power station GEM-GOGPT
CountryBulgaria · Varna GEM-GOGPT
Coordinates43.19477, 27.765472 GEM-GOGPT
FuelGas GEM-GOGPT
MW installed capacity1,180 MW GEM GOGPT; source record
OwnerTPP Varna EAD [100%] GEM-GOGPT
Commissioned2019 GEM-GOGPT
TechnologyCCGT · Siemens Energy: SGT5-2000E · HRSG GEM-GOGPT

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions1,860,624 t CO₂·a⁻¹ calculated
Capacity rank in country#4 / 55 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#1 / 8 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers3.75× · 315 MW · n=8 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent1,329,017 calculated
Environmental severityC4 · 39/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset

Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.

Capacity provenance

The public capacity above is the current source-record value. A 2026 tracker candidate lists 630 MW for Varna power station, but it is not used as the public primary value until scope is verified (unit vs operating vs installed/project total).

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: GEM GOGPT; fuel: GEM GOGPT

In context: how this plant compares

At 1,180 MW, Varna power station is well above the median gas plant in Bulgaria (315 MW). Technically it is described as CCGT; combined-cycle with a heat-recovery steam generator (HRSG); Siemens Energy: SGT5-2000E. Gas plants burn natural gas either in open-cycle turbines for fast peaking, or in combined-cycle units that recover exhaust heat in an HRSG to reach roughly 55–62% efficiency — the cleanest-burning fossil option.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

Capacity vs largest gas plants in Bulgaria

Varna power station: 1,180 MW1kVarna powe…Maritsa Iztok-2 power station: 1,000 MW1kMaritsa Iz…Sofia Iztok power station: 407 MW407Sofia Izto…Sofia power station: 315 MW315Sofia powe…Rupite power station: 276 MW276Rupite pow…Neftochim Refinery power station: 216 MW216Neftochim …Plovdiv North power station: 50 MW50Plovdiv No…Toplofikacia Pleven power station: 43 MW43Toplofikac…

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

Owner

Operated by TPP Varna EAD [100%].

Climate zone & how it works

This gas plant burns natural gas in a turbine — often in a combined-cycle setup — to generate electricity. It sits in a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 43.2°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

~18°Ctypical annual mean
~27°Ctypical warm-season mean
Humid subtropical: four distinct seasons — cold winters and warm summers

Climate zone & typical temperatures: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid).

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)
39/100environmental-severity index
20.0°Cseasonal temperature swing
39 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 #1 largest gas power plant of 8 in Bulgaria by capacity.

Bulgaria has 8 gas power plants in this dataset, together about 3,487 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 43.19477, 27.765472 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Varna power station?

Varna power station is a 1,180 MW gas power plant in Varna, Bulgaria, commissioned in 2019.

How many homes can Varna power station power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 1,329,017 homes (estimated).

Who operates Varna power station?

Varna power station is operated by TPP Varna EAD [100%].

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