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Energía Minera power station

Coal power plant in Valparaíso, Chile. Approximate location -32.733333, -71.416667.

CoalValparaísoChilesubcritical

Energía Minera power station is a 1,050 MW coal power station in Valparaíso, Chile. It is operated by Corporación Nacional del Cobre de Chile [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 1.3 million homes (estimated). It ranks #3 of 336 Chile power plants by installed capacity. In context, coal supplies about 17.8% of Chile's electricity; the national grid averages 289 gCO₂/kWh (66.4% low-carbon) (2025).

1,050MW installed capacity
1,314,000homes powered (est.)

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

Data status

Known data

FacilityEnergía Minera power station GEM-coal
CountryChile · Valparaíso GEM-coal
Coordinates-32.733333, -71.416667 GEM-coal
FuelCoal GEM-coal
MW installed capacity1,050 MW GEM GCPT; source record
OwnerCorporación Nacional del Cobre de Chile [100%] GEM-coal
Technologysubcritical GEM-coal

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions4,599,000 t CO₂·a⁻¹ calculated
Capacity rank in country#3 / 336 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#3 / 22 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers2.20× · 478 MW · n=22 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent1,314,000 calculated
Environmental severityC4 · 36/100 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 GCPT; fuel: GEM GCPT

In context: how this plant compares

At 1,050 MW, Energía Minera power station is well above the median coal plant in Chile (478 MW). Technically it is described as subcritical. Coal plants burn pulverised coal to raise high-pressure steam for a turbine; they run as baseload but are the most carbon-intensive mainstream source and the first targeted for retirement or efficiency retrofits.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

Capacity vs largest coal plants in Chile

Castilla power station: 2,100 MW2kCastilla p…Luz de Atacama power station: 1,410 MW1kLuz de Ata…Energía Minera power station: 1,050 MW1kEnergía Mi…TERMOELECTRICA TOCOPILLA (U12): 1,002 MW1kTERMOELECT…GUACOLDA: 760 MW760GUACOLDALos Robles power station: 750 MW750Los Robles…Punta Alcalde power station: 740 MW740Punta Alca…Río Corrientes power station: 700 MW700Río Corrie…

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

Owner

Operated by Corporación Nacional del Cobre de Chile [100%].

Climate zone & how it works

This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csb) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 32.7°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: hot summers and mild winters

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 corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), with marine corrosion the leading environmental stress.

C4ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
36/100environmental-severity index
8.0°Cseasonal temperature swing
24 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 coal power plant of 22 in Chile by capacity.

Chile has 22 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 12,437 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates -32.733333, -71.416667 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Energía Minera power station?

Energía Minera power station is a 1,050 MW coal power plant in Valparaíso, Chile.

How many homes can Energía Minera power station power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 1,314,000 homes (estimated).

Who operates Energía Minera power station?

Energía Minera power station is operated by Corporación Nacional del Cobre de Chile [100%].

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