EL TUNAL — Argentina

EL TUNAL is a 10.8 MW hydro power plant in Salta, Argentina. It is operated by AES ARGENTINA GENERACION S.A.. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 11k homes (estimated). It ranks #207 of 275 Argentina power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1972, it is around 54 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).

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id ARG0000276.

Data provenance

Source of the capacity and fuel values:

capacity: Wikidata P2109; fuel: WRI GPPD

In context: how this plant compares

At 10.8 MW, EL TUNAL 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.

Key facts

Share of Argentina hydro capacity

0.1% of 9,991 MW across 50 plants in this dataset

Age among peers

21 of 49 dated hydro plants in Argentina are older

Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).

Capacity vs largest hydro plants in Argentina

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

Owner

Operated by AES ARGENTINA GENERACION S.A.. All plants by this company →

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 25.2°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

Monthly mean temperature

Heating degree-days here run 86% 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: 18/100 — 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

This site sits in a moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), 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 #39 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

• CENTRAL TERMICA DE CICLO COMBINADO SALTA · Gas · 643 MW · Salta
• CENTRAL TERMICA GÜEMES SA · Coal · 361 MW · Salta
• CENTRAL TERMOELECTRICA MANUEL BELGRANO · Gas · 868.2 MW · Salta
• CABRA CORRAL · Hydro · 104 MW · Salta
• NUEVA ESPERANZA · Oil · 3.4 MW · Santiago del Estero
• LAS MADERAS · Hydro · 30 MW · Jujuy

Location

Coordinates -25.2323, -64.4762 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions