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CORONEL

Gas power plant in Biobio, Chile. Approximate location -36.9676, -73.1686.

GasBiobioChile

CORONEL is a 47 MW gas power plant in Biobio, Chile. It is operated by SAGESA. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 53k homes (estimated). It ranks #135 of 336 Chile power plants by installed capacity. In context, gas supplies about 15.3% of Chile's electricity; the national grid averages 289 gCO₂/kWh (66.4% low-carbon) (2025).

47Legacy source-record capacity
52,710homes powered (est.)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id CHL0000060.

Data status

Known data

FacilityCORONEL WRI
CountryChile · Biobio WRI
Coordinates-36.9676, -73.1686 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity47 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerSAGESA WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions73,794 t CO₂/yr calculated
Capacity rank in country#135 of 336 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#15 of 19 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.12× · 379 MW median · 19 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent52,710 calculated
Climate11.8°C · HDD 2,271 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 31/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

CommissionedNot available not in dataset
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 47 MW, CORONEL is below the median gas plant in Chile (379 MW). 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 Chile

NEHUENCO: 855 MW855NEHUENCOATACAMA (CC1-CC2): 768 MW768ATACAMA (C…El Campesino power station: 640 MW640El Campesi…Tierra Noble power station: 600 MW600Tierra Nob…Andes Vallenar power station: 540 MW540Andes Vall…Los Rulos power station: 540 MW540Los Rulos …Kelar power station: 517 MW517Kelar powe…SAN ISIDRO II: 406 MW406SAN ISIDRO…

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

Owner

Operated by SAGESA. All plants by this company →

Local climate & thermal context

This gas plant burns natural gas in a turbine — often in a combined-cycle setup — to generate electricity. It sits in a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csb) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 37.0°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

11.8°Cannual mean temp
2,271heating degree-days (base 18°C)
0cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
268 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 16 °CJF: 16 °CFM: 14 °CMA: 12 °CAM: 10 °CMJ: 9 °CJJ: 8 °CJA: 8 °CAS: 9 °CSO: 11 °CON: 13 °CND: 15 °CD16 °C

Heating degree-days here run 8% 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: 47/100 — this site sits in the mid third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

A gas turbine here also runs ~0% below its ISO (15°C) rating at this annual mean (typical CCGT curve, estimate).

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)
31/100environmental-severity index
8.1°Cseasonal temperature swing
46 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 #15 largest gas power plant of 19 in Chile by capacity.

Chile has 19 gas power plants in this dataset, together about 6,512 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates -36.9676, -73.1686 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is CORONEL?

CORONEL is a 47 MW source-record gas power plant in Biobio, Chile.

How many homes can CORONEL power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 52,710 homes (estimated).

Who operates CORONEL?

CORONEL is operated by SAGESA.

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