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Centrale Diesel de Tantan

Oil power plant in Guelmim-Es Smara, Morocco. Approximate location 28.469, -11.339.

OilGuelmim-Es SmaraMorocco

Centrale Diesel de Tantan is a 117 MW oil power station in Guelmim-Es Smara, Morocco. It is operated by Office National de l'Electricite (ONE). Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 88k homes (estimated). It ranks #29 of 52 Morocco power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2009, it is around 17 years old — relatively modern. In context, oil supplies about 3.6% of Morocco's electricity; the national grid averages 596 gCO₂/kWh (24.0% low-carbon) (2025).

117Legacy source-record capacity
87,775homes powered (est.)
2009commissioned (~17 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1023679.

Data status

Known data

FacilityCentrale Diesel de Tantan WRI
CountryMorocco · Guelmim-Es Smara WRI
Coordinates28.469, -11.339 WRI
FuelOil WRI
MW installed capacity117 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerOffice National de l'Electricite (ONE) WRI
Commissioned2009 WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions230,410 t CO₂/yr calculated
Capacity rank in country#29 of 52 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#5 of 7 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.84× · 139 MW median · 7 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent87,775 calculated
Climate20.0°C · HDD 145 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC5 · 54/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

TechnologyNot available not in dataset
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 117 MW, Centrale Diesel de Tantan is below the median oil plant in Morocco (139 MW). 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 Morocco

Central Termique de Kenitra: 300 MW300Central Te…Mohammedia 2 Power Plant: 300 MW300Mohammedia…Centrale Turbine a' Gaz de Tit-Me (Casablanca): 198 MW198Centrale T…Centrale Turbine a` Gaz de Tetouan: 139 MW139Centrale T…Centrale Diesel de Tantan: 117 MW117Centrale D…Tan Tan power plant: 116 MW116Tan Tan po…Dakhla IC Power Plant Western Sahara: 23 MW23Dakhla IC …

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

Owner

Operated by Office National de l'Electricite (ONE). 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 28.5°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

20.0°Cannual mean temp
145heating degree-days (base 18°C)
866cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
130 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 16 °CJF: 17 °CFM: 18 °CMA: 19 °CAM: 20 °CMJ: 22 °CJJ: 23 °CJA: 24 °CAS: 23 °CSO: 22 °CON: 19 °CND: 17 °CD24 °C

Heating degree-days here run 94% 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: 16/100 — 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 an aggressive, high-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C5 — Very high), with marine salt corrosion the leading environmental stress.

C5ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
54/100environmental-severity index
7.8°Cseasonal temperature swing
32 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 #5 largest oil power plant of 7 in Morocco by capacity.

Morocco has 7 oil power plants in this dataset, together about 1,193 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 28.469, -11.339 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Centrale Diesel de Tantan?

Centrale Diesel de Tantan is a 117 MW source-record oil power plant in Guelmim-Es Smara, Morocco, commissioned in 2009.

How many homes can Centrale Diesel de Tantan power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 87,775 homes (estimated).

Who operates Centrale Diesel de Tantan?

Centrale Diesel de Tantan is operated by Office National de l'Electricite (ONE).

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