LA RIOJA

Oil power plant in La Rioja, Argentina. Approximate location -29.3823, -66.8325.

OilLa RiojaArgentina

LA RIOJA is a 42 MW oil power plant in La Rioja, Argentina. It is operated by GENERACION RIOJANA SA. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 32k homes (estimated). It ranks #120 of 275 Argentina power plants by installed capacity. In context, oil supplies about 3.9% of Argentina's electricity; the national grid averages 346 gCO₂/kWh (41.6% low-carbon) (2025).

42Source-backed capacity
31,536homes powered (est.)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id ARG0000188.

Data status

Known data

FacilityLA RIOJA WRI
CountryArgentina · La Rioja WRI
Coordinates-29.3823, -66.8325 WRI
FuelOil WRI
MW installed capacity42 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerGENERACION RIOJANA SA WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions82,782 t CO₂/yr calculated
Capacity rank in country#120 of 275 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#1 of 96 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers3.75× · 11 MW median · 96 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent31,536 calculated
Climate19.6°C · HDD 685 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC1 · 40/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

CommissionedNot available not in dataset
TechnologyNot 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.

Capacity provenance

The public capacity above is the current source-record value. A 2026 tracker candidate lists 50 MW for Riojana power station, but it is not used as the public primary value until scope is verified (unit vs operating vs installed/project total).

Capacity claim grade: B_SCOPE_PARENT_COMPLEX - recommended action: build_parent_complex_model - confidence: not_comparable_without_scope. This follows a claim-based data model: value + scope + source + confidence, rather than silently overwriting records.

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 L100000406462); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 42 MW, LA RIOJA is well above the median oil plant in Argentina (11 MW). Oil-fired plants burn heavy fuel oil or diesel, usually as peaking or backup capacity on islands and grids without gas pipelines; high fuel cost keeps their utilisation low.

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

Capacity vs largest oil plants in Argentina

LA RIOJA: 42 MW42LA RIOJACT LA PLATA: 40 MW40CT LA PLATACT MEDANITOS (RINCON DE LOS SAUCES): 32 MW32CT MEDANIT…C.T. RUFINO: 32 MW32C.T. RUFINOBANDERA: 31 MW31BANDERACENTRAL TERMICA PIQUIRENDA SA: 30 MW30CENTRAL TE…CT FORMOSA II: 30 MW30CT FORMOSA…C.T. SAN VICENTE: 28 MW28C.T. SAN V…

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

Owner

Operated by GENERACION RIOJANA SA.

Local climate & thermal context

This oil plant burns oil or diesel to drive turbines or reciprocating engines. It sits in a hot semi-arid steppe climate (Köppen BSh) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 29.4°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

19.6°Cannual mean temp
685heating degree-days (base 18°C)
1,262cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
413 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 27 °CJF: 25 °CFM: 23 °CMA: 19 °CAM: 15 °CMJ: 11 °CJJ: 11 °CJA: 14 °CAS: 17 °CSO: 22 °CON: 25 °CND: 27 °CD27 °C

Heating degree-days here run 72% 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: 23/100 — 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

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 benign, low-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C1 — Very low), with dust abrasion the leading environmental stress.

C1ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
40/100environmental-severity index
16.1°Cseasonal temperature swing
450 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 #1 largest oil power plant of 96 in Argentina by capacity.

Argentina has 96 oil power plants in this dataset, together about 1,199 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates -29.3823, -66.8325 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is LA RIOJA?

LA RIOJA is a 42 MW source-record oil power plant in La Rioja, Argentina.

How many homes can LA RIOJA power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 31,536 homes (estimated).

Who operates LA RIOJA?

LA RIOJA is operated by GENERACION RIOJANA SA.

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