Coca Coda Sinclair — Ecuador

Coca Coda Sinclair is a 1,500 MW hydro power station in Sucumbios, Ecuador. It is operated by Cocasinclair EP. Based on reported annual generation of 8,743 GWh, it can supply roughly 2.5 million homes. It ranks #1 of 34 Ecuador power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2010, it is around 16 years old — relatively modern. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 77.9% of Ecuador's electricity; the national grid averages 159 gCO₂/kWh (79.4% low-carbon) (2025).

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1018599.

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 1,500 MW, Coca Coda Sinclair is well above the median hydro plant in Ecuador (24 MW). 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

Load factor

67%, from 8,743 GWh of reported generation, in line with the 67% median for 7 hydro plants in Ecuador

Share of Ecuador hydro capacity

46.1% of 3,252 MW across 10 plants in this dataset

Age among peers

0 of 4 dated hydro plants in Ecuador 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 Ecuador

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

Owner

Operated by Cocasinclair EP.

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) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 0.1°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

Monthly mean temperature

Heating degree-days here run 95% 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: 15/100 — 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 #1 largest hydro power plant of 10 in Ecuador by capacity.

Ecuador has 10 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 3,252 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

• Miraflores · Oil · 52.3 MW · Pichincha
• Solar Connection · Solar · 20 MW · Pichincha
• Condor · Solar · 30 MW · Pichincha
• Guangopolo · Hydro · 20.9 MW · Pichincha
• Guangopolo II power station · Oil · 52.4 MW · Pichincha
• Gualberto Hernandez · Oil · 34.3 MW · Pichincha

Location

Coordinates -0.1443, -77.617 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions