José López Portillo (Río Escondido) — Mexico

José López Portillo (Río Escondido) is a 1,200 MW coal power station in Coahuila, Mexico. It is operated by CFE. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 1.5 million homes (estimated). It ranks #13 of 366 Mexico power plants by installed capacity. Its modelled annual emissions are 2,991,900 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 697k cars driven for a year. In context, coal supplies about 3.0% 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 MEX0001771.

Data provenance

Source of the capacity and fuel values:

capacity: GEM · 2026 · L100000104797; fuel: WRI GPPD

In context: how this plant compares

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.

~2,991,900 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

Equivalencies via US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies; modelled emissions from Climate TRACE.

Key facts

Share of Mexico coal capacity

20.6% of 5,828 MW across 4 plants in this dataset

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

Capacity vs largest coal plants in Mexico

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

Owner

Operated by CFE. All plants by this company →

Local climate & thermal context

This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a hot semi-arid steppe climate (Köppen BSh) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 28.5°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 76% 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: 22/100 — 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 #3 largest coal power plant of 4 in Mexico by capacity.

Mexico has 4 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 5,828 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

• Carbón II · Coal · 1,400 MW · Coahuila
• Altos Hornos de México · Gas · 180.3 MW · Coahuila
• Eagle Pass · Hydro · 9.6 MW · Texas
• GMéxico Project · Coal · 450 MW · Coahuila
• Anacacho Wind Farm LLC · Wind · 99.8 MW · Texas
• OCI Alamo 4 LLC · Solar · 39.6 MW · Texas

Location

Coordinates 28.4844, -100.6897 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions