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Jurun Marinala

Hydro power plant in Escuintla, Guatemala. Approximate location 14.39, -90.711.

HydroEscuintlaGuatemalaunknown

Jurun Marinala is a 60 MW hydro power plant in Escuintla, Guatemala. Based on reported annual generation of 279 GWh, it can supply roughly 80k homes. It ranks #23 of 77 Guatemala power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1970, it is around 56 years old — an older, legacy facility. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 39.9% of Guatemala's electricity; the national grid averages 301 gCO₂/kWh (68.3% low-carbon) (2024).

60Source-backed capacity
279GWh reported / yr
79,628homes powered
1970commissioned (~56 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1061395.

Data status

Known data

FacilityJurun Marinala WRI
CountryGuatemala · Escuintla WRI
Coordinates14.39, -90.711 WRI
FuelHydro WRI
MW installed capacity60 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
Commissioned1970 WRI
Technologyunknown WRI
GWh reported / yr279 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#23 of 77 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#6 of 30 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers4.69× · 13 MW median · 30 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent79,628 calculated from reported generation
Climate23.8°C · HDD 0 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 38/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

OwnerNot available not in dataset
GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset
CO₂ emissionsnot applicable not applicable

Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.

Data provenance

The capacity and/or fuel fields on this page include a source-backed provenance label from GEM, an official registry, Wikidata, OSM, or a cross-source match.

capacity: GEM tracker 2026 (location L100001023061); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 60 MW, Jurun Marinala is well above the median hydro plant in Guatemala (13 MW). Technically it is described as unknown. 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.

Capacity vs largest hydro plants in Guatemala

Chixoy: 300 MW300ChixoyXacbal: 97 MW97XacbalPalo Viejo: 87 MW87Palo ViejoAguacapa: 80 MW80AguacapaRenace: 68 MW68RenaceJurun Marinala: 60 MW60Jurun Mari…El Canada: 48 MW48El CanadaLas Vacas: 39 MW39Las Vacas

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

Local climate & thermal context

This hydro plant converts the energy of falling or flowing water through hydro turbines. It sits in a tropical savanna climate (Köppen Aw) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 14.4°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

23.8°Cannual mean temp
0heating degree-days (base 18°C)
2,114cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
746 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 23 °CJF: 23 °CFM: 24 °CMA: 25 °CAM: 25 °CMJ: 24 °CJJ: 24 °CJA: 24 °CAS: 24 °CSO: 24 °CON: 23 °CND: 23 °CD25 °C

This site has effectively no heating season (tropical/equatorial climate), so winter heat loss is not the driver here. The thermal concern shifts to year-round process heat and humidity/heat-driven corrosion of hot equipment.

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

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 humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C4ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
38/100environmental-severity index
2.1°Cseasonal temperature swing
65 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 #6 largest hydro power plant of 30 in Guatemala by capacity.

Guatemala has 30 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 1,003 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 14.39, -90.711 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Jurun Marinala?

Jurun Marinala is a 60 MW source-record hydro power plant in Escuintla, Guatemala, commissioned in 1970.

How much electricity does Jurun Marinala generate?

Jurun Marinala generates about 279 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Jurun Marinala power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 79,628 homes.

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