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EL CADILLAL

Hydro power plant in Tucuman, Argentina. Approximate location -26.6156, -65.1929.

HydroTucumanArgentina

EL CADILLAL is a 14 MW hydro power plant in Tucuman, Argentina. It is operated by H. TUCUMAN SA. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 14k homes (estimated). It ranks #200 of 275 Argentina power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1966, it is around 60 years old — an older, legacy facility. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 17.1% of Argentina's electricity; the national grid averages 346 gCO₂/kWh (41.6% low-carbon) (2025).

14Legacy source-record capacity
14,016homes powered (est.)
1966commissioned (~60 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id ARG0000338.

Data status

Known data

FacilityEL CADILLAL WRI
CountryArgentina · Tucuman WRI
Coordinates-26.6156, -65.1929 WRI
FuelHydro WRI
MW installed capacity14 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerH. TUCUMAN SA WRI
Commissioned1966 WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#200 of 275 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#37 of 50 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.33× · 42 MW median · 50 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent14,016 calculated
Climate19.6°C · HDD 468 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 33/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

TechnologyNot available not in dataset
GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset
CO₂ emissionsnot applicable not applicable

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 14 MW, EL CADILLAL is below the median hydro plant in Argentina (42 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.

Capacity vs largest hydro plants in Argentina

YACYRETA: 1,550 MW2kYACYRETAPIEDRA DEL AGUILA (CPSA): 1,400 MW1kPIEDRA DEL…EL CHOCON: 1,200 MW1kEL CHOCONALICURA: 1,040 MW1kALICURASALTO GRANDE (MITAD ARGENTINA): 945 MW945SALTO GRAN…RIO GRANDE: 750 MW750RIO GRANDEFUTALEUFU: 472 MW472FUTALEUFUPLANICIE BANDERITA: 472 MW472PLANICIE B…

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

Owner

Operated by H. TUCUMAN SA.

Local climate & thermal context

This hydro plant converts the energy of falling or flowing water through hydro turbines. It sits in a humid subtropical (dry winter) climate (Köppen Cwa) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 26.6°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

19.6°Cannual mean temp
468heating degree-days (base 18°C)
1,060cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
528 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 25 °CJF: 24 °CFM: 22 °CMA: 20 °CAM: 16 °CMJ: 13 °CJJ: 13 °CJA: 15 °CAS: 18 °CSO: 21 °CON: 23 °CND: 25 °CD25 °C

Heating degree-days here run 81% 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: 20/100 — 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 moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C3ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
33/100environmental-severity index
12.5°Cseasonal temperature swing
528 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 #37 largest hydro power plant of 50 in Argentina by capacity.

Argentina has 50 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 9,991 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates -26.6156, -65.1929 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is EL CADILLAL?

EL CADILLAL is a 14 MW source-record hydro power plant in Tucuman, Argentina, commissioned in 1966.

How many homes can EL CADILLAL power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 14,016 homes (estimated).

Who operates EL CADILLAL?

EL CADILLAL is operated by H. TUCUMAN SA.

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