Home / North America / Mexico / Mexicali Oriente power plant

Mexicali Oriente power plant

Gas power plant in Baja California, Mexico. Approximate location 32.565, -115.2891.

GasBaja CaliforniaMexicoEngineCO₂ modelled

Mexicali Oriente power plant is a 442 MW gas power station in Baja California, Mexico. It is operated by Comisión Federal de Electricidad EPE. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 497k homes (estimated). It ranks #83 of 366 Mexico power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2023, it is around 3 years old — recently built. Its modelled annual emissions are 1,518,700 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 354k cars driven for a year. In context, gas supplies about 61.6% of Mexico's electricity; the national grid averages 474 gCO₂/kWh (25.9% low-carbon) (2025).

442Source-backed capacity
497,367homes powered (est.)
1,518,700t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)
2023commissioned (~3 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id CT-5943.

Data status

Known data

FacilityMexicali Oriente power plant Climate TRACE
CountryMexico · Baja California Climate TRACE
Coordinates32.565, -115.2891 Climate TRACE
FuelGas Climate TRACE
MW installed capacity442 MW Climate TRACE source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerComisión Federal de Electricidad EPE Climate TRACE
Commissioned2023 Climate TRACE
TechnologyEngine Climate TRACE

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions1,518,700 t CO₂/yr modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#83 of 366 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#59 of 129 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.20× · 368 MW median · 129 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent497,367 calculated
Climate22.0°C · HDD 422 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC1 · 43/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset

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 L100000408607); fuel: Climate TRACE source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 442 MW, Mexicali Oriente power plant is well above the median gas plant in Mexico (368 MW). Technically it is described as Engine. Gas plants burn natural gas either in open-cycle turbines for fast peaking, or in combined-cycle units that recover exhaust heat in an HRSG to reach roughly 55–62% efficiency — the cleanest-burning fossil option.

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

~1,518,700 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

354kpassenger cars driven for a year
198khomes' yearly energy use
25 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

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

Capacity vs largest gas plants in Mexico

Noreste (Escobedo) power station: 1,680 MW2kNoreste (E…Jorge Luque power station: 1,660 MW2kJorge Luqu…Energía de Celaya power station: 1,617 MW2kEnergía de…Empalme I power station: 1,482 MW1kEmpalme I …Tuxpan III y IV: 1,180 MW1kTuxpan III…Tamazunchale: 1,179 MW1kTamazuncha…Altamira V: 1,155 MW1kAltamira VTajín Energía power station: 1,146 MW1kTajín Ener…

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

Owner

Operated by Comisión Federal de Electricidad EPE. All plants by this company →

Local climate & thermal context

This gas plant burns natural gas in a turbine — often in a combined-cycle setup — to generate electricity. It sits in a hot desert climate (Köppen BWh) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 32.6°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

22.0°Cannual mean temp
422heating degree-days (base 18°C)
1,902cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
11 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 13 °CJF: 15 °CFM: 17 °CMA: 20 °CAM: 24 °CMJ: 28 °CJJ: 32 °CJA: 32 °CAS: 29 °CSO: 24 °CON: 18 °CND: 13 °CD32 °C

Heating degree-days here run 83% 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: 20/100 — this site sits in the bottom third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

A gas turbine here also runs ~5% below its ISO (15°C) rating at this annual mean (typical CCGT curve, estimate).

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)
43/100environmental-severity index
18.5°Cseasonal temperature swing
141 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 #59 largest gas power plant of 129 in Mexico by capacity.

Mexico has 129 gas power plants in this dataset, together about 58,538 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 32.565, -115.2891 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Mexicali Oriente power plant?

Mexicali Oriente power plant is a 442 MW source-record gas power plant in Baja California, Mexico, commissioned in 2023.

How many homes can Mexicali Oriente power plant power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 497,367 homes (estimated).

Who operates Mexicali Oriente power plant?

Mexicali Oriente power plant is operated by Comisión Federal de Electricidad EPE.

How much CO₂ does Mexicali Oriente power plant emit?

Mexicali Oriente power plant has modelled emissions of about 1,518,700 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

Built from open public data; no personal information. Operate this site? Request a correction or removal.