Home / South America / Uruguay / MINAS I

MINAS I

Wind power plant in Lavalleja, Uruguay. Approximate location -34.4647, -55.3065.

WindLavallejaUruguayOnshore

MINAS I is a 42 MW wind power plant in Lavalleja, Uruguay. It is operated by Akuo Energy SAS [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 36k homes (estimated). It ranks #32 of 73 Uruguay power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2014, it is around 12 years old — relatively modern. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, wind supplies about 40.6% of Uruguay's electricity; the national grid averages 80 gCO₂/kWh (97.8% low-carbon) (2025).

42Source-backed capacity
35,740homes powered (est.)
2014commissioned (~12 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id URY0000850.

Data status

Known data

FacilityMINAS I WRI
CountryUruguay · Lavalleja WRI
Coordinates-34.4647, -55.3065 WRI
FuelWind WRI
MW installed capacity42 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerAkuo Energy SAS [100%] WRI
Commissioned2014 WRI
TechnologyOnshore WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#32 of 73 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#20 of 39 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.00× · 42 MW median · 39 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent35,740 calculated
Climate15.7°C · HDD 1,167 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 40/100 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 L100000904981); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 42 MW, MINAS I is around the median wind plant in Uruguay (42 MW). Technically it is described as Onshore. Wind turbines convert moving air into electricity; output is variable and site-dependent, and modern turbines deliver some of the lowest-cost new generation on many grids.

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

Capacity vs largest wind plants in Uruguay

PAMPA: 142 MW142PAMPACOLONIA ARIAS: 70 MW70COLONIA AR…VALENTINES: 70 MW70VALENTINESJUAN PABLO TERRA: 67 MW67JUAN PABLO…PARQUE EÓLICO ARTILLEROS: 65 MW65PARQUE EÓL…PERALTA I GCEE: 59 MW59PERALTA I …PERALTA II GCEE: 59 MW59PERALTA II…PARQUE EÓLICO CARAPÉ I: 51 MW51PARQUE EÓL…

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

Owner

Operated by Akuo Energy SAS [100%].

Local climate & thermal context

This wind plant converts the kinetic energy of wind into electricity through turbine rotors. It sits in a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 34.5°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

15.7°Cannual mean temp
1,167heating degree-days (base 18°C)
315cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
193 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 22 °CJF: 21 °CFM: 20 °CMA: 16 °CAM: 13 °CMJ: 10 °CJJ: 10 °CJA: 11 °CAS: 12 °CSO: 15 °CON: 17 °CND: 20 °CD22 °C

Heating degree-days here run 53% 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: 28/100 — 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 corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C4ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
40/100environmental-severity index
11.5°Cseasonal temperature swing
32 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 #20 largest wind power plant of 39 in Uruguay by capacity.

Uruguay has 39 wind power plants in this dataset, together about 1,382 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates -34.4647, -55.3065 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is MINAS I?

MINAS I is a 42 MW source-record wind power plant in Lavalleja, Uruguay, commissioned in 2014.

How many homes can MINAS I power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 35,740 homes (estimated).

Who operates MINAS I?

MINAS I is operated by Akuo Energy SAS [100%].

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