Cartagena — Colombia
Oil power plant in Bolivar, Colombia. Approximate location 10.3555, -75.5109.
OilBolivarColombiaCCGT · HRSG
Cartagena is a 203 MW oil power station in Bolivar, Colombia. It is operated by ENDESA. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 152k homes (estimated). It ranks #30 of 44 Colombia power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1973, it is around 53 years old — an older, legacy facility. In context, oil supplies about 3.1% 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 WRI1018562.
Data status
Known data
Calculated from dataset
Not available
Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.
Data provenance
Source of the capacity and fuel values:
capacity: GEM · 2026 · L100000406567; fuel: WRI GPPD
In context: how this plant compares
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.
Owner
Operated by ENDESA. 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 10.4°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
Colombia has 1 oil power plant in this dataset, together about 203 MW of capacity.
Nearby power plants
- Termopalmero power station · Gas · 920 MW · Bolívar
- Termocaribe III power station · Gas · 52 MW · Bolívar
- Termobarranquilla · Gas · 918 MW · Atlantico
- Termoflores · Gas · 610 MW · Atlantico
- El Tesorito power station · Gas · 209 MW · Córdoba
Location
Coordinates 10.3555, -75.5109 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Cartagena?
Cartagena is a 203 MW oil power plant in Bolivar, Colombia, commissioned in 1973.
Who operates Cartagena?
Cartagena is operated by ENDESA.