Falcón — Mexico
Hydro power plant in Tamaulipas, Mexico. Approximate location 26.5584, -99.1694.
HydroTamaulipasMexico
Falcón is a 31.5 MW hydro power plant in Tamaulipas, Mexico. It is operated by Comisión Federal de Electricidad EPE. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 32k homes (estimated). It ranks #237 of 366 Mexico power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1955, it is around 71 years old — an older, legacy facility. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 8.1% of Mexico's electricity; the national grid averages 474 gCO₂/kWh (25.9% low-carbon) (2025).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id MEX0006580.
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 · L100001054765; fuel: WRI GPPD
In context: how this plant compares
At 31.5 MW, Falcón is well above the median hydro plant in Mexico (19.2 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 Mexico hydro capacity
- 0.3% of 12,457 MW across 73 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 6 of 32 dated hydro plants in Mexico 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 Mexico
Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Owner
Operated by Comisión Federal de Electricidad EPE.
Local climate & thermal context
This hydro plant converts the energy of falling or flowing water through hydro turbines. It sits in a hot semi-arid steppe climate (Köppen BSh) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 26.6°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.
Monthly mean temperature
Heating degree-days here run 89% 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: 17/100 — 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 benign, low-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C1 — Very low), with dust abrasion 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 #32 largest hydro power plant of 73 in Mexico by capacity.
Mexico has 73 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 12,457 MW of capacity.
Nearby power plants
- Falcon Dam & Power · Hydro · 31.5 MW · Tamaulipas
- Rio Bravo Windpower LLC · Wind · 237.6 MW · Tamaulipas
- Los Vientos Windpower IV · Wind · 200 MW · Texas
- Los Vientos Windpower III · Wind · 200 MW · Texas
- Mesteno · Wind · 201.6 MW · Texas
- Los Vientos V Wind Power · Wind · 110 MW · Texas
Location
Coordinates 26.5584, -99.1694 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Falcón?
Falcón is a 31.5 MW hydro power plant in Tamaulipas, Mexico, commissioned in 1955.
Who operates Falcón?
Falcón is operated by Comisión Federal de Electricidad EPE.