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COSTANERA

Coal power plant in Buenos Aires F.D., Argentina. Approximate location -34.626, -58.3393.

CoalBuenos Aires F.D.Argentina

COSTANERA is a 1,982 MW coal power station in Buenos Aires F.D., Argentina. It is operated by ENDESA COSTANERA. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 2.5 million homes (estimated). It ranks #1 of 275 Argentina power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1983, it is around 43 years old — long-established. In context, coal supplies about 1.8% of Argentina's electricity; the national grid averages 346 gCO₂/kWh (41.6% low-carbon) (2025).

1,982Legacy source-record capacity
2,480,581homes powered (est.)
1983commissioned (~43 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id ARG0000046.

Data status

Known data

FacilityCOSTANERA WRI
CountryArgentina · Buenos Aires F.D. WRI
Coordinates-34.626, -58.3393 WRI
FuelCoal WRI
MW installed capacity1,982 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerENDESA COSTANERA WRI
Commissioned1983 WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions8,682,036 t CO₂/yr calculated
Capacity rank in country#1 of 275 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#1 of 10 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers5.49× · 361 MW median · 10 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent2,480,581 calculated
Climate17.0°C · HDD 952 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 37/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

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 1,982 MW, COSTANERA is well above the median coal plant in Argentina (361 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.

Capacity vs largest coal plants in Argentina

COSTANERA: 1,982 MW2kCOSTANERASAN NICOLAS: 675 MW675SAN NICOLASCENTRAL BAHIA BLANCA (PIEDRA BUENA) SA: 620 MW620CENTRAL BA…PUERTO NUEVO: 589 MW589PUERTO NUE…CENTRAL TERMICA GÜEMES SA: 361 MW361CENTRAL TE…Río Turbio power station: 240 MW240Río Turbio…SORRENTO: 226 MW226SORRENTOPILAR ZANICHELLI: 216 MW216PILAR ZANI…

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

Owner

Operated by ENDESA COSTANERA.

Local climate & thermal context

This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 34.6°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

17.0°Cannual mean temp
952heating degree-days (base 18°C)
586cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
14 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 24 °CJF: 23 °CFM: 21 °CMA: 17 °CAM: 14 °CMJ: 11 °CJJ: 10 °CJA: 12 °CAS: 14 °CSO: 17 °CON: 19 °CND: 22 °CD24 °C

Heating degree-days here run 61% 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: 26/100 — 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

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 humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C4ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
37/100environmental-severity index
13.5°Cseasonal temperature swing
119 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 #1 largest coal power plant of 10 in Argentina by capacity.

Argentina has 10 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 5,128 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates -34.626, -58.3393 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is COSTANERA?

COSTANERA is a 1,982 MW source-record coal power plant in Buenos Aires F.D., Argentina, commissioned in 1983.

How many homes can COSTANERA power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 2,480,581 homes (estimated).

Who operates COSTANERA?

COSTANERA is operated by ENDESA COSTANERA.

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