Alfredo Elías Ayub (La Yesca) — Mexico

Alfredo Elías Ayub (La Yesca) is a 750 MW hydro power station in Jalisco, Mexico. It is operated by CFE. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 751k homes (estimated). It ranks #36 of 366 Mexico power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2012, it is around 14 years old — relatively modern. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 8.1% of Mexico's electricity; the national grid averages 474 gCO₂/kWh (25.9% low-carbon) (2025).

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id MEX0001859.

Data provenance

Source of the capacity and fuel values:

capacity: GEM · 2026 · L100000602464; fuel: WRI GPPD

In context: how this plant compares

At 750 MW, Alfredo Elías Ayub (La Yesca) is well above the median hydro plant in Mexico (19.2 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 Mexico hydro capacity

6.0% of 12,457 MW across 73 plants in this dataset

Age among peers

31 of 32 dated hydro plants in Mexico 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 Mexico

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

Owner

Operated by CFE. All plants by this company →

Local climate & thermal context

This hydro plant converts the energy of falling or flowing water through hydro turbines. It sits in a humid subtropical (dry winter) climate (Köppen Cwa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 21.2°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 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 #6 largest hydro power plant of 73 in Mexico by capacity.

Mexico has 73 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 12,457 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

• Leonardo Rodríguez Alcaine (El Cajón) · Hydro · 750 MW · Nayarit
• Manuel M. Diéguez (Santa Rosa) · Hydro · 70 MW · Jalisco
• Tala Electric · Biomass · 25 MW · Jalisco
• Ingenio Tala · Biomass · 12 MW · Jalisco
• Ingenio San Francisco Ameca · Biomass · 4.5 MW · Jalisco
• Bioeléctrica de Occidente power station · Biomass · 35.4 MW · Nayarit

Location

Coordinates 21.1979, -104.1047 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions