El Pilar — Guatemala
Biomass power plant in Suchitepeque, Guatemala. Approximate location 14.54, -91.588.
BiomassSuchitepequeGuatemala
El Pilar is a 33.4 MW biomass power plant in Suchitepeque, Guatemala. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 46k homes (estimated). It ranks #36 of 77 Guatemala power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2012, it is around 14 years old — relatively modern. In context, biomass supplies about 22.2% 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 WRI1061440.
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 33.4 MW, El Pilar is below the median biomass plant in Guatemala (76.9 MW). Biomass plants burn organic material such as wood, residues or waste-derived fuel to raise steam; they are dispatchable and counted as low-carbon where the feedstock is sustainably sourced.
Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.
Key facts
- Share of Guatemala biomass capacity
- 3.8% of 880 MW across 13 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 9 of 13 dated biomass 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 biomass plants in Guatemala
Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Local climate & thermal context
This biomass plant burns organic material (wood, residues) to raise steam for a turbine. It sits in a tropical savanna climate (Köppen Aw) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 14.5°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 a corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), with humidity / wetness 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 #10 largest biomass power plant of 13 in Guatemala by capacity.
Guatemala has 13 biomass power plants in this dataset, together about 880 MW of capacity.
Nearby power plants
- Tulula · Biomass · 50 MW · Suchitepeque
- El Recreo · Hydro · 26 MW · Quetzaltenango
- El Manantial · Hydro · 3.8 MW · Quetzaltenango
- Monte Cristo · Hydro · 13.5 MW · Suchitepeque
- El Canada · Hydro · 48.1 MW · Suchitepeque
- Palo Gordo · Biomass · 76.9 MW · Suchitepeque
Location
Coordinates 14.54, -91.588 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is El Pilar?
El Pilar is a 33.4 MW biomass power plant in Suchitepeque, Guatemala, commissioned in 2012.