Soto de Ribera power station
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Soto de Ribera power station is an operating power station of at least 854-megawatts (MW) in Ribera de Arriba, Oviedo, Asturias, Spain with multiple units, some of which are not currently operating.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Soto de Ribera power station | Ribera de Arriba, Oviedo, Asturias, Asturias, Spain | 43.311717, -5.874 (exact)[1] |
Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):
- 4, 5, Unit 1, Unit 2, Unit 3: 43.311717, -5.874
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | CHP | Start year | Retired year | Emergency/Backup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Operating[2][3] | fossil gas: natural gas[4][5] | 426[5] | combined cycle[5] | no[1] | 2008[2] | – | no |
| 5 | Operating[2][3] | fossil gas: natural gas[4][5] | 428[5] | combined cycle[5] | no[1] | 2011[2] | – | no |
| Unit 1 | Retired | coal: subbituminous[6] | 68 | subcritical | – | 1962 | 2008 | no |
| Unit 2 | Retired | coal: subbituminous[6] | 254 | subcritical | – | 1967 | 2015 | no |
| Unit 3 | Mothballed[1] | coal: subbituminous, fossil gas: unknown[1][6] | 350 | subcritical | – | 1984 | 2025 (planned)[7] | no |
CHP is an abbreviation for Combined Heat and Power. It is a technology that produces electricity and thermal energy at high efficiencies. Coal units track this information in the Captive Use section when known.
Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
| Unit name | Owner | Parent |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | EDP SA [100%][8] | EDP SA [100.0%] |
| 5 | EDP SA [100%][8] | EDP SA [100.0%] |
| Unit 1 | EDP España SA [100%] | EDP SA [100.0%] |
| Unit 2 | EDP España SA [100%] | EDP SA [100.0%] |
| Unit 3 | EDP España SA [100%] | EDP SA [100.0%] |
Project-level coal details
- Coal source(s): imported
Background
This power station was originally a coal-fired power station with 3 blocks totaling 672 MW of power generation. In 2008 and 2011, natural gas-fired combined cycle blocks 3 and 4 respectively were commissioned with the intention of phasing out all coal-fired power generation at the station.[9]
The coal phase-out was expected to take place by 2021, but the European gas crisis caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine has delayed this phase out, with the coal fired unit operating as of August, 2022.[10]
EDP has also announced plans to explore possibilities for the production and use of Hydrogen at this power station, although more concrete details have yet to be released.[11]
As of July 2025, EDP indicated that Soto de Ribera power station Unit 3 was slated for retirement by the end of the year.[12]
As of early 2026, Soto de Ribera Unit 3 was reported to be mothballed and to remain available on an indefinite basis for security-of-supply reasons, rather than being permanently retired.[13]
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "La única planta de carbón que continuará abierta en la España peninsular está en Asturias y este es el motivo por el que se ha pospuesto su cierre". La Nueva España. 2025-12-22. Archived from the original on 2026-01-28. Retrieved 2026-01-21.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Transparency Platform". transparency.entsoe.eu. Archived from the original on 2022-11-07. Retrieved 2026-04-10.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 https://energia.serviciosmin.gob.es/Reprov2/RegistroPublico.aspx.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 4.0 4.1 https://web.archive.org/web/20230116162723/http://www.ree.es/en/datos/publications/annual-system-report/spanish-electricity-system-2018-report. Archived from the original on 2023-01-16.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 https://web.archive.org/web/20220313001219/https://espana.edp.com/es/centro-produtor-termico-de-soto-de-ribera. Archived from the original on 2022-03-13.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 https://www.gem.wiki/Coal_source_methodology_for_the_Global_Coal_Plant_Tracker.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ "Driving energy change". www.edp.com. Archived from the original on 2025-07-11. Retrieved 2025-07-11.
{{cite web}}: Text "edp" ignored (help) - ↑ 8.0 8.1 https://web.archive.org/web/20220718055615/https://www.elcomercio.es/economia/empresas/edp-producira-hidrogeno-soto-ribera-vehiculos-gas-natural-20220709002044-ntvo.html. Archived from the original on 2022-07-18.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ Spanish Electricity System 2018 Report Red Eléctrica de España, August 1, 2019
- ↑ "El futuro de las térmicas de carbón: As Pontes sí; Soto de Ribera no". La Voz de Asturias (in español). 2022-07-15. Retrieved 2022-12-13.
- ↑ "EdP producirá hidrógeno en Soto de Ribera para vehículos y para sustituir el gas natural". El Comercio (in español). 2022-07-08. Retrieved 2022-12-13.
- ↑ Driving energy change, EDP, accessed July 11, 2025
- ↑ "La única planta de carbón que continuará abierta en la España peninsular está en Asturias y este es el motivo por el que se ha pospuesto su cierre". lne.es. 22 December 2025. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
Additional data
To access additional data, including interactive maps of the power stations, downloadable datasets, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Plant Tracker and the Global Oil and Gas Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.
