Home / South America / Chile / El Campesino power station

El Campesino power station

Gas power plant in Ñuble, Chile. Approximate location -36.794264, -72.42031.

GasÑubleChileCCGT · HRSG

El Campesino power station is a 640 MW gas power station in Ñuble, Chile. It is operated by Generadora Metropolitana SpA [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 721k homes (estimated). It ranks #12 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).

640MW installed capacity
1HRSG unit(s)
720,822homes powered (est.)

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

Data status

Known data

FacilityEl Campesino power station GEM-GOGPT
CountryChile · Ñuble GEM-GOGPT
Coordinates-36.794264, -72.42031 GEM-GOGPT
FuelGas GEM-GOGPT
MW installed capacity640 MW GEM GOGPT; source record
OwnerGeneradora Metropolitana SpA [100%] GEM-GOGPT
TechnologyCCGT · HRSG GEM-GOGPT

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions1,009,152 t CO₂·a⁻¹ calculated
Capacity rank in country#12 / 336 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#3 / 19 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.69× · 379 MW · n=19 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent720,822 calculated
Environmental severityC3 · 29/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

CommissionedNot 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: GEM GOGPT; fuel: GEM GOGPT

In context: how this plant compares

At 640 MW, El Campesino power station is well above the median gas plant in Chile (379 MW). Technically it is described as CCGT; combined-cycle with a heat-recovery steam generator (HRSG). 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 Generadora Metropolitana SpA [100%].

Climate zone & how it works

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 36.8°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

~14°Ctypical annual mean
~21°Ctypical warm-season mean
Warm-summer mediterranean: four distinct seasons — cold winters and warm summers

Climate zone & typical temperatures: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid).

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)
29/100environmental-severity index
10.9°Cseasonal temperature swing
84 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 #3 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 -36.794264, -72.42031 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is El Campesino power station?

El Campesino power station is a 640 MW gas power plant in Ñuble, Chile.

How many homes can El Campesino power station power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 720,822 homes (estimated).

Who operates El Campesino power station?

El Campesino power station is operated by Generadora Metropolitana SpA [100%].

Built from open public data; no personal information. Operate this site? Request a correction or removal.