EMBALSE — Argentina
Nuclear power plant in Cordoba, Argentina. Approximate location -32.2316, -64.4422.
NuclearCordobaArgentinaCANDU 6pressurized heavy water reactor
EMBALSE is a 656 MW nuclear power station in Cordoba, Argentina. It is operated by NASA. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 1.5 million homes (estimated). It ranks #22 of 275 Argentina power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1984, it is around 42 years old — long-established. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, nuclear supplies about 7.0% 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 ARG0000112.
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
Source of the capacity and fuel values:
capacity: GEM · 2026 · L100000500169; fuel: WRI GPPD
In context: how this plant compares
Technically it is described as pressurized heavy water reactor. Nuclear plants split uranium to raise steam with no direct CO₂; they run as steady baseload with very high capacity factors and the longest operating lifetimes of any thermal plant.
Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.
Key facts
- Share of Argentina nuclear capacity
- 37.0% of 1,771 MW across 3 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 1 of 3 dated nuclear plants in Argentina is older
Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).
Capacity vs largest nuclear plants in Argentina
Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Owner
Operated by NASA.
Local climate & thermal context
This nuclear plant uses heat from nuclear fission to raise steam for a turbine-generator. It sits in a humid subtropical (dry winter) climate (Köppen Cwa) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 32.2°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 56% 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: 27/100 — 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 mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — Low), 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 #2 largest nuclear power plant of 3 in Argentina by capacity.
Argentina has 3 nuclear power plants in this dataset, together about 1,771 MW of capacity.
Nearby power plants
- FITZ SIMON · Hydro · 10.8 MW · Cordoba
- BENJAMIN REOLIN · Hydro · 38.4 MW · Cordoba
- PIEDRAS MORAS · Hydro · 6.3 MW · Cordoba
- CT 13 DE JULIO · Gas · 26 MW · Cordoba
- LOS MOLINOS I · Hydro · 59 MW · Cordoba
- LOS MOLINOS II · Hydro · 4.5 MW · Cordoba
Location
Coordinates -32.2316, -64.4422 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is EMBALSE?
EMBALSE is a 656 MW nuclear power plant in Cordoba, Argentina, commissioned in 1984.
Who operates EMBALSE?
EMBALSE is operated by NASA.