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MAMPIL

Hydro power plant in Biobio, Chile. Approximate location -37.5404, -71.7098.

HydroBiobioChileunknown

MAMPIL is a 55 MW hydro power plant in Biobio, Chile. It is operated by DUKE ENERGY. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 55k homes (estimated). It ranks #124 of 336 Chile power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2001, it is around 25 years old — relatively modern. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 22.2% of Chile's electricity; the national grid averages 289 gCO₂/kWh (66.4% low-carbon) (2025).

55Source-backed capacity
55,062homes powered (est.)
2001commissioned (~25 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id CHL0001080.

Data status

Known data

FacilityMAMPIL WRI
CountryChile · Biobio WRI
Coordinates-37.5404, -71.7098 WRI
FuelHydro WRI
MW installed capacity55 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerDUKE ENERGY WRI
Commissioned2001 WRI
Technologyunknown WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#124 of 336 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#23 of 99 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers4.58× · 12 MW median · 99 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent55,062 calculated
Climate8.1°C · HDD 3,642 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 25/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

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 L100001022942); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 55 MW, MAMPIL is well above the median hydro plant in Chile (12 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 Chile

RALCO: 690 MW690RALCOPEHUENCHE: 570 MW570PEHUENCHECOLBUN: 474 MW474COLBUNPANGUE: 467 MW467PANGUEEL TORO: 450 MW450EL TORORAPEL: 377 MW377RAPELANGOSTURA: 328 MW328ANGOSTURAANTUCO: 320 MW320ANTUCO

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

Owner

Operated by DUKE ENERGY.

Local climate & thermal context

This hydro plant converts the energy of falling or flowing water through hydro turbines. It sits in a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csb) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 37.5°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

8.1°Cannual mean temp
3,642heating degree-days (base 18°C)
0cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
1,241 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 14 °CJF: 14 °CFM: 11 °CMA: 8 °CAM: 5 °CMJ: 3 °CJJ: 2 °CJA: 3 °CAS: 5 °CSO: 8 °CON: 10 °CND: 13 °CD14 °C

Heating degree-days here run 48% above 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: 79/100 — this site sits in the top 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 moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C3ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
25/100environmental-severity index
11.9°Cseasonal temperature swing
148 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 #23 largest hydro power plant of 99 in Chile by capacity.

Chile has 99 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 6,416 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates -37.5404, -71.7098 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is MAMPIL?

MAMPIL is a 55 MW source-record hydro power plant in Biobio, Chile, commissioned in 2001.

How many homes can MAMPIL power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 55,062 homes (estimated).

Who operates MAMPIL?

MAMPIL is operated by DUKE ENERGY.

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