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AGUA DEL CAJON (GENERADOR DEL MEM)

Gas power plant in Neuquen, Argentina. Approximate location -38.9368, -68.3556.

GasNeuquenArgentinaCCGT · HRSG

AGUA DEL CAJON (GENERADOR DEL MEM) is a 192 MW gas power station in Neuquen, Argentina. It is operated by CAPEX SA. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 216k homes (estimated). It ranks #61 of 275 Argentina power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1993, it is around 33 years old — long-established. In context, gas supplies about 52.7% of Argentina's electricity; the national grid averages 346 gCO₂/kWh (41.6% low-carbon) (2025).

192Legacy source-record capacity
1HRSG unit(s)
216,246homes powered (est.)
1993commissioned (~33 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id ARG0000232.

Data status

Known data

FacilityAGUA DEL CAJON (GENERADOR DEL MEM) WRI
CountryArgentina · Neuquen WRI
Coordinates-38.9368, -68.3556 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity192 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerCAPEX SA WRI
Commissioned1993 WRI
TechnologyCCGT · HRSG WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions302,746 t CO₂/yr calculated
Capacity rank in country#61 of 275 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#36 of 95 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.54× · 125 MW median · 95 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent216,246 calculated
Climate14.1°C · HDD 1,796 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC1 · 35/100 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.

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: WRI Global Power Plant Database source-record (legacy); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 192 MW, AGUA DEL CAJON (GENERADOR DEL MEM) is well above the median gas plant in Argentina (125 MW). Technically it is described as CCGT; combined-cycle with a heat-recovery steam generator (HRSG). 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 Argentina

NUEVO PUERTO: 1,218 MW1kNUEVO PUER…Guillermo Brown power station: 876 MW876Guillermo …AES Paraná power station: 870 MW870AES Paraná…CENTRAL TERMOELECTRICA MANUEL BELGRANO: 868 MW868CENTRAL TE…Manuel Belgrano I power station: 868 MW868Manuel Bel…CENTRAL TERMOELECTRICA TIMBUES: 865 MW865CENTRAL TE…DOCK SUD: 861 MW861DOCK SUDCT ENSENADA DE BARRAGAN: 848 MW848CT ENSENAD…

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

Owner

Operated by CAPEX SA.

Local climate & thermal context

This gas plant burns natural gas in a turbine — often in a combined-cycle setup — to generate electricity. It sits in a cold semi-arid steppe climate (Köppen BSk) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 38.9°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

14.1°Cannual mean temp
1,796heating degree-days (base 18°C)
367cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
387 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 23 °CJF: 21 °CFM: 18 °CMA: 13 °CAM: 9 °CMJ: 6 °CJJ: 6 °CJA: 8 °CAS: 11 °CSO: 15 °CON: 18 °CND: 22 °CD23 °C

Heating degree-days here run 27% 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: 39/100 — this site sits in the mid third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

A gas turbine here also runs ~0% below its ISO (15°C) rating at this annual mean (typical CCGT curve, estimate).

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 dust abrasion the leading environmental stress.

C1ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
35/100environmental-severity index
17.1°Cseasonal temperature swing
368 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 #36 largest gas power plant of 95 in Argentina by capacity.

Argentina has 95 gas power plants in this dataset, together about 22,760 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates -38.9368, -68.3556 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is AGUA DEL CAJON (GENERADOR DEL MEM)?

AGUA DEL CAJON (GENERADOR DEL MEM) is a 192 MW source-record gas power plant in Neuquen, Argentina, commissioned in 1993.

How many homes can AGUA DEL CAJON (GENERADOR DEL MEM) power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 216,246 homes (estimated).

Who operates AGUA DEL CAJON (GENERADOR DEL MEM)?

AGUA DEL CAJON (GENERADOR DEL MEM) is operated by CAPEX SA.

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