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Pantaleon

Biomass power plant in Escuintla, Guatemala. Approximate location 14.33, -90.993.

BiomassEscuintlaGuatemala

Pantaleon is a 82 MW biomass power plant in Escuintla, Guatemala. Based on reported annual generation of 387 GWh, it can supply roughly 111k homes. It ranks #14 of 77 Guatemala power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1991, it is around 35 years old — long-established. In context, biomass supplies about 22.2% of Guatemala's electricity; the national grid averages 301 gCO₂/kWh (68.3% low-carbon) (2024).

82Legacy source-record capacity
387GWh reported / yr
110,542homes powered
1991commissioned (~35 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1061445.

Data status

Known data

FacilityPantaleon WRI
CountryGuatemala · Escuintla WRI
Coordinates14.33, -90.993 WRI
FuelBiomass WRI
MW installed capacity82 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
Commissioned1991 WRI
GWh reported / yr387 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#14 of 77 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#5 of 13 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.07× · 77 MW median · 13 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent110,542 calculated from reported generation
Climate26.6°C · HDD 0 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 40/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

OwnerNot available not in dataset
TechnologyNot available not in dataset
GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset
CO₂ emissionsNot available not in dataset

Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.

Data provenance

The capacity and fuel fields on this page are source-record values from the upstream open dataset. They are useful for identification and ranking, but they have not been upgraded to a 2026 registry/GEM-location verified value.

capacity: WRI Global Power Plant Database source-record (legacy); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 82 MW, Pantaleon is around the median biomass plant in Guatemala (77 MW). Biomass plants burn organic material such as wood, residues or waste-derived fuel to raise steam; they are dispatchable and counted as low-carbon where the feedstock is sustainably sourced.

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

Capacity vs largest biomass plants in Guatemala

Magdalena: 145 MW145MagdalenaBiomass: 119 MW119BiomassSanta Ana: 104 MW104Santa AnaTrinidad: 87 MW87TrinidadPantaleon: 82 MW82PantaleonLa Union: 78 MW78La UnionPalo Gordo: 77 MW77Palo GordoTulula: 50 MW50Tulula

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

Local climate & thermal context

This biomass plant burns organic material (wood, residues) to raise steam for a turbine. It sits in a tropical savanna climate (Köppen Aw) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 14.3°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

26.6°Cannual mean temp
0heating degree-days (base 18°C)
3,129cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
210 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 26 °CJF: 26 °CFM: 27 °CMA: 28 °CAM: 27 °CMJ: 27 °CJJ: 27 °CJA: 27 °CAS: 26 °CSO: 26 °CON: 26 °CND: 26 °CD28 °C

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

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
2.0°Cseasonal temperature swing
64 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 #5 largest biomass power plant of 13 in Guatemala by capacity.

Guatemala has 13 biomass power plants in this dataset, together about 880 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 14.33, -90.993 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Pantaleon?

Pantaleon is a 82 MW source-record biomass power plant in Escuintla, Guatemala, commissioned in 1991.

How much electricity does Pantaleon generate?

Pantaleon generates about 387 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Pantaleon power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 110,542 homes.

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