Venda Nova is a 90 MW hydro power plant in Braga, Portugal. It is operated by EDP SA [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 90k homes (estimated). It ranks #29 of 480 Portugal 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 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 WRI1022560.
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
Source of the capacity and fuel values:
capacity: GEM · 2026 · L100000603209; fuel: WRI GPPD
In context: how this plant compares
At 90 MW, Venda Nova is well above the median hydro plant in Portugal (4.7 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.
Key facts
- Share of Portugal hydro capacity
- 3.3% of 2,718 MW across 122 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 14 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).
Owner
Operated by EDP SA [100%].
Local climate & thermal context
This hydro plant converts the energy of falling or flowing water through hydro turbines. It sits in a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 41.7°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 6% 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: 48/100 — 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
This site sits in a moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with humidity / wetness 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 #3 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
- Mesa do Galo I · Hydro · 1.6 MW · Braga
- Frades II · Hydro · 736 MW · Braga
- Serra da Cabreira · Wind · 20 MW · Braga
- Vilarchão · Wind · 2 MW · Braga
- Lomba do Vale · Wind · 21.1 MW · Braga
- Alto da Vaca · Wind · 2.4 MW · Braga
Location
Coordinates 41.6794, -7.9823 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Venda Nova?
Venda Nova is a 90 MW hydro power plant in Braga, Portugal, commissioned in 1951.
Who operates Venda Nova?
Venda Nova is operated by EDP SA [100%].