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Baja California Sur I

Oil power plant in Baja California, Mexico. Approximate location 32.6024, -115.6276.

OilBaja CaliforniaMexicoCCGT · HRSG

Baja California Sur I is a 163 MW oil power station in Baja California, Mexico. It is operated by CFE. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 122k homes (estimated). It ranks #153 of 366 Mexico power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2003, it is around 23 years old — relatively modern. In context, oil supplies about 9.4% of Mexico's electricity; the national grid averages 474 gCO₂/kWh (25.9% low-carbon) (2025).

163Legacy source-record capacity
2HRSG unit(s)
122,164homes powered (est.)
2003commissioned (~23 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id MEX0001845.

Data status

Known data

FacilityBaja California Sur I WRI
CountryMexico · Baja California WRI
Coordinates32.6024, -115.6276 WRI
FuelOil WRI
MW installed capacity163 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerCFE WRI
Commissioned2003 WRI
TechnologyCCGT · HRSG WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions320,682 t CO₂/yr calculated
Capacity rank in country#153 of 366 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#19 of 27 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.54× · 300 MW median · 27 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent122,164 calculated
Climate22.6°C · HDD 379 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC1 · 44/100 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 163 MW, Baja California Sur I is below the median oil plant in Mexico (300 MW). Technically it is described as CCGT; combined-cycle with a heat-recovery steam generator (HRSG). Oil-fired plants burn heavy fuel oil or diesel, usually as peaking or backup capacity on islands and grids without gas pipelines; high fuel cost keeps their utilisation low.

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

Capacity vs largest oil plants in Mexico

Adolfo López Mateos (Tuxpan): 2,100 MW2kAdolfo Lóp…Francisco Pérez Ríos (Tula): 1,606 MW2kFrancisco …Manuel Álvarez Moreno (Manzanillo): 1,300 MW1kManuel Álv…Villa de Reyes: 700 MW700Villa de R…Puerto Libertad: 632 MW632Puerto Lib…José Aceves Pozos (Mazatlán II): 616 MW616José Aceve…Salamanca: 550 MW550SalamancaAltamira: 500 MW500Altamira

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 oil plant burns oil or diesel to drive turbines or reciprocating engines. It sits in a hot desert climate (Köppen BWh) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 32.6°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

22.6°Cannual mean temp
379heating degree-days (base 18°C)
2,061cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
25 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 13 °CJF: 15 °CFM: 18 °CMA: 21 °CAM: 25 °CMJ: 29 °CJJ: 33 °CJA: 33 °CAS: 30 °CSO: 24 °CON: 18 °CND: 13 °CD33 °C

Heating degree-days here run 85% 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: 19/100 — this site sits in the bottom 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

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)
44/100environmental-severity index
19.2°Cseasonal temperature swing
141 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 #19 largest oil power plant of 27 in Mexico by capacity.

Mexico has 27 oil power plants in this dataset, together about 12,022 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 32.6024, -115.6276 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Baja California Sur I?

Baja California Sur I is a 163 MW source-record oil power plant in Baja California, Mexico, commissioned in 2003.

How many homes can Baja California Sur I power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 122,164 homes (estimated).

Who operates Baja California Sur I?

Baja California Sur I is operated by CFE.

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