Home / North America / Panama / Cobre Panamá power station

Cobre Panamá power station

Gas power plant in Colón, Panama. Approximate location 9.005716, -80.689504.

GasColónPanamaSteamAnnounced

Cobre Panamá power station is a 153 MW gas power station in Colón, Panama. It is operated by Minera Panamá SA [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 172k homes (estimated). It ranks #7 of 21 Panama power plants by installed capacity. In context, gas supplies about 20.8% of Panama's electricity; the national grid averages 221 gCO₂/kWh (68.0% low-carbon) (2024).

153MW installed capacity
172,321homes powered (est.)
2030Announced

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

Data status

Known data

FacilityCobre Panamá power station GEM-GOGPT
CountryPanama · Colón GEM-GOGPT
Coordinates9.005716, -80.689504 GEM-GOGPT
FuelGas GEM-GOGPT
MW installed capacity153 MW GEM GOGPT; source record
OwnerMinera Panamá SA [100%] GEM-GOGPT
Commissioned2030 GEM-GOGPT
TechnologySteam GEM-GOGPT

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions241,250 t CO₂·a⁻¹ calculated
Capacity rank in country#7 / 21 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#4 / 4 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent172,321 calculated
Environmental severityC5 · 48/100 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: GEM GOGPT; fuel: GEM GOGPT

In context: how this plant compares

Technically it is described as Steam. Its current lifecycle status is “Announced” — so it is not yet, or no longer, generating at full output. Gas plants burn natural gas either in open-cycle turbines for fast peaking, or in combined-cycle units that recover exhaust heat in an HRSG to reach roughly 55–62% efficiency — the cleanest-burning fossil option.

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

Capacity vs largest gas plants in Panama

Gatún power station: 670 MW670Gatún powe…AES Colón power station: 381 MW381AES Colón …Central 9 de Enero (JB) CCGT Power Plant Panama: 160 MW160Central 9 …Cobre Panamá power station: 153 MW153Cobre Pana…

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

Owner

Operated by Minera Panamá SA [100%].

Climate zone & how it works

This gas plant burns natural gas in a turbine — often in a combined-cycle setup — to generate electricity. It sits in a tropical rainforest climate (Köppen Af) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 9.0°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

~26°Ctypical annual mean
~27°Ctypical warm-season mean
Tropical rainforest: hot and humid year-round with little seasonal variation

Climate zone & typical temperatures: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid).

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)
48/100environmental-severity index
2.0°Cseasonal temperature swing
29 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 #4 largest gas power plant of 4 in Panama by capacity.

Panama has 4 gas power plants in this dataset, together about 1,364 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 9.005716, -80.689504 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Cobre Panamá power station?

Cobre Panamá power station is a 153 MW gas power plant in Colón, Panama, Announced 2030.

How many homes can Cobre Panamá power station power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 172,321 homes (estimated).

Who operates Cobre Panamá power station?

Cobre Panamá power station is operated by Minera Panamá SA [100%].

Built from open public data; no personal information. Operate this site? Request a correction or removal.