AES Puerto Rico power station — United States of America

AES Puerto Rico power station is a 510 MW coal power station in , United States of America. It is operated by AES Corp [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 638k homes (estimated). It ranks #1211 of 10,884 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2002, it is around 24 years old — relatively modern. In context, coal supplies about 16.3% of United States of America's electricity; the national grid averages 384 gCO₂/kWh (43.0% low-carbon) (2025).

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

Data provenance

Source of the capacity and fuel values:

capacity: GEM · 2026 · L100000104168; fuel: GEM GCPT

In context: how this plant compares

At 510 MW, AES Puerto Rico power station is around the median coal plant in United States of America (558 MW). Technically it is described as subcritical. Coal plants burn pulverised coal to raise high-pressure steam for a turbine; they run as baseload but are the most carbon-intensive mainstream source and the first targeted for retirement or efficiency retrofits.

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

Key facts

Share of United States of America coal capacity

less than 0.1% of 621,194 MW across 802 plants in this dataset

Age among peers

696 of 745 dated coal plants in United States of America are older

Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).

Capacity vs largest coal plants in United States of America

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

Owner

Operated by AES Corp [100%].

Local climate & thermal context

This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a tropical savanna climate (Köppen Aw) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 17.9°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

Monthly mean temperature

This site has effectively no heating season (tropical/equatorial climate), so winter heat loss is not the driver here. The thermal concern shifts to year-round process heat and humidity/heat-driven corrosion of hot equipment.

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 #418 largest coal power plant of 802 in United States of America by capacity.

United States of America has 802 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 621,194 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

• A.E.S. Corp. · Coal · 454.3 MW · Guayama
• AES Ilumina · Solar · 24 MW · Guayama
• Jobos · Gas · 42 MW · Guayama
• Salinas · Solar · 15.5 MW · Salinas
• Aguirre · Oil · 1,492 MW · Salinas
• Aguirre · Gas · 42 MW · Salinas

Location

Coordinates 17.945558, -66.14944 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions