Palo Seco — United States of America

Palo Seco is a 602 MW oil power station in Toa Baja, United States of America. It is operated by PREPA. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 452k homes (estimated). It ranks #1053 of 10,884 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1960, it is around 66 years old — an older, legacy facility. In context, oil supplies about 0.7% of United States of America's electricity; the national grid averages 384 gCO₂/kWh (43.0% low-carbon) (2025).

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1026814.

Capacity provenance

The public capacity above is the current source-record value. A 2026 tracker candidate lists 752 MW for Palo Seco power station, but it is not used as the public primary value until scope is verified (unit vs operating vs installed/project total).

Data provenance

Source of the capacity and fuel values:

capacity: GEM · 2026 · L100000406863; fuel: WRI GPPD

In context: how this plant compares

At 602 MW, Palo Seco is well above the median oil plant in United States of America (7.2 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.

Key facts

Share of United States of America oil capacity

1.5% of 40,022 MW across 902 plants in this dataset

Age among peers

18 of 877 dated oil plants in United States of America are older

Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).

Capacity vs largest oil plants in United States of America

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

Owner

Operated by PREPA. All plants by this company →

Local climate & thermal context

This oil plant burns oil or diesel to drive turbines or reciprocating engines. It sits in a tropical monsoon climate (Köppen Am) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 18.5°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

Monthly mean temperature

This site has effectively no heating season (tropical/equatorial climate), so winter heat loss is not the driver here. The thermal concern shifts to year-round process heat and humidity/heat-driven corrosion of hot equipment.

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 an aggressive, high-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C5 — Very high), with marine salt corrosion 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 #16 largest oil power plant of 902 in United States of America by capacity.

United States of America has 902 oil power plants in this dataset, together about 40,022 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

• Palo Seco power station · Oil · 752 MW · Palo Seco
• Palo Seco · Gas · 126 MW · Toa Baja
• San Juan II power plant · Gas · 560 MW · Puerto Rico
• San Juan (PR) power station · Oil · 840 MW · Puerto Rico
• San Juan CC · Oil · 840 MW · Catano
• Vega Baja · Gas · 42 MW · Vega Baja

Location

Coordinates 18.4553, -66.1486 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions