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Coelemu

Biomass power plant in Biobio, Chile. Approximate location -36.5108, -72.7369.

BiomassBiobioChile

Coelemu is a 7 MW biomass power plant in Biobio, Chile. It is operated by ENERGIA LEON S.A.. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 9.8k homes (estimated). It ranks #240 of 336 Chile power plants by installed capacity. In context, biomass supplies about 5.7% of Chile's electricity; the national grid averages 289 gCO₂/kWh (66.4% low-carbon) (2025).

7Legacy source-record capacity
9,773homes powered (est.)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id CHL0003008.

Data status

Known data

FacilityCoelemu WRI
CountryChile · Biobio WRI
Coordinates-36.5108, -72.7369 WRI
FuelBiomass WRI
MW installed capacity7 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerENERGIA LEON S.A. WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#240 of 336 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#18 of 22 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.51× · 14 MW median · 22 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent9,773 calculated
Climate13.2°C · HDD 1,770 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 34/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

CommissionedNot available not in dataset
TechnologyNot available not in dataset
GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset
CO₂ emissionsNot 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 7 MW, Coelemu is below the median biomass plant in Chile (14 MW). Biomass plants burn organic material such as wood, residues or waste-derived fuel to raise steam; they are dispatchable and counted as low-carbon where the feedstock is sustainably sourced.

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

Capacity vs largest biomass plants in Chile

Santa Fe: 67 MW67Santa FeNueva Aldea III: 37 MW37Nueva Alde…CMPC Pacífico: 33 MW33CMPC Pacíf…Lautaro: 26 MW26LautaroCMPC_Laja: 25 MW25CMPC_LajaArauco: 24 MW24AraucoLautaro II: 22 MW22Lautaro IILoma Los Colorados II: 18 MW18Loma Los C…

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

Owner

Operated by ENERGIA LEON S.A..

Local climate & thermal context

This biomass plant burns organic material (wood, residues) to raise steam for a turbine. It sits in a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csb) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 36.5°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

13.2°Cannual mean temp
1,770heating degree-days (base 18°C)
21cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
128 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 19 °CJF: 18 °CFM: 16 °CMA: 13 °CAM: 11 °CMJ: 9 °CJJ: 9 °CJA: 9 °CAS: 11 °CSO: 13 °CON: 15 °CND: 17 °CD19 °C

Heating degree-days here run 28% 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: 39/100 — this site sits in the mid 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 a corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), with marine corrosion the leading environmental stress.

C4ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
34/100environmental-severity index
10.1°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 #18 largest biomass power plant of 22 in Chile by capacity.

Chile has 22 biomass power plants in this dataset, together about 384 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates -36.5108, -72.7369 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Coelemu?

Coelemu is a 7 MW source-record biomass power plant in Biobio, Chile.

How many homes can Coelemu power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 9,773 homes (estimated).

Who operates Coelemu?

Coelemu is operated by ENERGIA LEON S.A..

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