Lerma (Tepuxtepec) — Mexico

Lerma (Tepuxtepec) is a 74 MW hydro power plant in Michoacan, Mexico. It is operated by Generadora Fénix SAPI de CV. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 74k homes (estimated). It ranks #203 of 366 Mexico power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1930, it is around 96 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 MEX0006589.

Capacity provenance

The public capacity above is the current source-record value. A 2026 tracker candidate lists 49 MW for Lerma Tepuxtepec hydroelectric plant, but it is not used as the public primary value until scope is verified (unit vs operating vs installed/project total).

Data provenance

Capacity and fuel are the upstream open-dataset record, not yet matched to a 2026 registry or GEM entry.

capacity: WRI GPPD; fuel: WRI GPPD

In context: how this plant compares

At 74 MW, Lerma (Tepuxtepec) 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

0.6% of 12,457 MW across 73 plants in this dataset

Age among peers

3 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 Generadora Fénix SAPI de CV.

Local climate & thermal context

This hydro plant converts the energy of falling or flowing water through hydro turbines. It sits in a subtropical highland climate (Köppen Cwb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 20.0°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 63% 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: 25/100 — 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 mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — Low), with humidity / wetness 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 #22 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

• Polo I power station · Gas · 150 MW · State of Mexico
• Los Azufres · Geothermal · 225 MW · Michoacan
• Bajío cogeneration power station · Gas · 52 MW · Queretaro
• El Sáuz · Gas · 591 MW · Queretaro
• Bajío (El Sáuz) · Gas · 495 MW · Queretaro
• Compañía Electrica Carolina · Hydro · 2.5 MW · Guanajuato

Location

Coordinates 19.9825, -100.2524 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions