Cantral La Tasajera — Colombia

Cantral La Tasajera is a 306 MW hydro power station in Antioquia, Colombia. It is operated by EPM. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 306k homes (estimated). It ranks #21 of 44 Colombia power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1993, it is around 33 years old — long-established. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 69.2% of Colombia's electricity; the national grid averages 187 gCO₂/kWh (77.0% low-carbon) (2025).

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1018561.

Data provenance

Source of the capacity and fuel values:

capacity: GEM · 2026 · L100000601419; fuel: WRI GPPD

In context: how this plant compares

At 306 MW, Cantral La Tasajera is below the median hydro plant in Colombia (560 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 Colombia hydro capacity

4.5% of 6,738 MW across 12 plants in this dataset

Age among peers

7 of 11 dated hydro plants in Colombia 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 Colombia

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

Owner

Operated by EPM.

Local climate & thermal context

This hydro plant converts the energy of falling or flowing water through hydro turbines. It sits in a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 6.4°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

Monthly mean temperature

Heating degree-days here run 78% 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: 21/100 — 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

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 #8 largest hydro power plant of 12 in Colombia by capacity.

Colombia has 12 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 6,738 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

• Central Guatapé · Hydro · 560 MW · Antioquia
• Troneras Central · Hydro · 40 MW · Antioquia
• Jaguas · Hydro · 170 MW · Antioquia
• Central Guadalupe III · Hydro · 270 MW · Antioquia
• San Carlos · Hydro · 1,240 MW · Antioquia
• Porce III · Hydro · 660 MW · Antioquia

Location

Coordinates 6.3771, -75.4478 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions