Cancún — Mexico

Cancún is a 102 MW oil power station in Quintana Roo, Mexico. It is operated by CFE. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 77k homes (estimated). It ranks #184 of 366 Mexico power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2025, it is around 1 years old — recently built. Its modelled annual emissions are 137,590 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 32k cars driven for a year. In context, oil supplies about 9.4% 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 MEX0001852.

Data provenance

Capacity and fuel are the upstream open-dataset record, not yet matched to a 2026 registry or GEM entry.

capacity: WRI GPPD; fuel: WRI GPPD

In context: how this plant compares

At 102 MW, Cancún is below the median oil plant in Mexico (300 MW). Technically it is described as Engine. 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.

~137,590 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

Equivalencies via US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies; modelled emissions from Climate TRACE.

Key facts

Share of Mexico oil capacity

0.8% of 12,022 MW across 27 plants in this dataset

Age among peers

13 of 18 dated oil 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 oil 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 oil plant burns oil or diesel to drive turbines or reciprocating engines. It sits in a tropical savanna climate (Köppen Aw) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 21.1°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 #24 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

• NIZUC · Oil · 88 MW · Quintana Roo
• Cancún II (Riviera Maya) power station · Gas · 752 MW · Quintana Roo
• Yuumil'iik · Wind · 1.5 MW · Quintana Roo
• Xcalacoco mobile power station · Oil · 52.8 MW · Quintana Roo
• Felipe Carrillo Puerto (Valladolid) · Gas · 220 MW · Yucatan
• Valladolid III · Gas · 525 MW · Yucatan

Location

Coordinates 21.069, -86.8467 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions