Costa Sur — Guatemala
Coal power plant in Escuintla, Guatemala. Approximate location 14.17, -90.672.
CoalEscuintlaGuatemala
Costa Sur is a 30.2 MW coal power plant in Escuintla, Guatemala. Based on reported annual generation of 217 GWh, it can supply roughly 62k homes. It ranks #37 of 77 Guatemala power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2013, it is around 13 years old — relatively modern. In context, coal supplies about 15.8% of Guatemala's electricity; the national grid averages 301 gCO₂/kWh (68.3% low-carbon) (2024).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1061415.
Data status
Known data
Calculated from dataset
Not available
Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.
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 30.2 MW, Costa Sur is below the median coal plant in Guatemala (139 MW). Coal plants burn pulverised coal to raise high-pressure steam for a turbine; they run as baseload but are the most carbon-intensive mainstream source and the first targeted for retirement or efficiency retrofits.
Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.
Key facts
- Load factor
- 82%, from 217 GWh of reported generation
- Share of Guatemala coal capacity
- 3.5% of 856 MW across 6 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 3 of 5 dated coal plants in Guatemala are older
Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).
Capacity vs largest coal plants in Guatemala
Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Local climate & thermal context
This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a tropical savanna climate (Köppen Aw) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 14.2°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.
Monthly mean temperature
This site has effectively no heating season (tropical/equatorial climate), so winter heat loss is not the driver here. The thermal concern shifts to year-round process heat and humidity/heat-driven corrosion of hot equipment.
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 an aggressive, high-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C5 — Very high), with marine salt corrosion 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 #5 largest coal power plant of 6 in Guatemala by capacity.
Guatemala has 6 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 856 MW of capacity.
Nearby power plants
- El Cobano · Hydro · 11 MW · Escuintla
- Jaguar Energy power station · Coal · 300 MW · Escuintla
- San Jose · Coal · 139 MW · Escuintla
- Escuintla Gas 3 · Oil · 35 MW · Escuintla
- Escuintla Gas 5 · Oil · 41.9 MW · Escuintla
- Stewart & Stevenson · Oil · 51 MW · Escuintla
Location
Coordinates 14.17, -90.672 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Costa Sur?
Costa Sur is a 30.2 MW coal power plant in Escuintla, Guatemala, commissioned in 2013.
How much electricity does Costa Sur generate?
Costa Sur generates about 217 GWh of electricity per year.