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Parnaíba IV

Gas power plant in Maranhao, Brazil. Approximate location -4.8141, -44.3436.

GasMaranhaoBrazil

Parnaíba IV is a 56 MW gas power plant in Maranhao, Brazil. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 63k homes (estimated). It ranks #433 of 2,572 Brazil power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2013, it is around 13 years old — relatively modern. In context, gas supplies about 7.3% of Brazil's electricity; the national grid averages 110 gCO₂/kWh (88.7% low-carbon) (2025).

56Source-backed capacity
63,409homes powered (est.)
2013commissioned (~13 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id BRA0031193.

Data status

Known data

FacilityParnaíba IV WRI
CountryBrazil · Maranhao WRI
Coordinates-4.8141, -44.3436 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity56 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
Commissioned2013 WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions88,774 t CO₂/yr calculated
Capacity rank in country#433 of 2572 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#107 of 195 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.56× · 100 MW median · 195 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent63,409 calculated
Climate26.8°C · HDD 0 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 35/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

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

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

Capacity provenance

The public capacity above is the current source-record value. A 2026 tracker candidate lists 1,906 MW for Parnaiba power station, but it is not used as the public primary value until scope is verified (unit vs operating vs installed/project total).

Capacity claim grade: B_SCOPE_PARENT_COMPLEX - recommended action: build_parent_complex_model - confidence: not_comparable_without_scope. This follows a claim-based data model: value + scope + source + confidence, rather than silently overwriting records.

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 L100000406523); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 56 MW, Parnaíba IV is below the median gas plant in Brazil (100 MW). 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.

Capacity vs largest gas plants in Brazil

Porto Norte Fluminense power station: 3,400 MW3kPorto Nort…Porto de Sergipe power station: 2,909 MW3kPorto de S…Power Maricá power station: 2,600 MW3kPower Mari…Jandaia power station: 2,430 MW2kJandaia po…Vila do Conde power station: 2,310 MW2kVila do Co…Termopecém power station: 2,240 MW2kTermopecém…Tupã power station: 2,040 MW2kTupã power…GNA III power station: 1,927 MW2kGNA III po…

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

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 tropical savanna climate (Köppen Aw) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 4.8°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

26.8°Cannual mean temp
0heating degree-days (base 18°C)
3,231cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
128 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 26 °CJF: 26 °CFM: 26 °CMA: 26 °CAM: 26 °CMJ: 26 °CJJ: 26 °CJA: 27 °CAS: 28 °CSO: 29 °CON: 28 °CND: 27 °CD29 °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.

A gas turbine here also runs ~8% 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 moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C3ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
35/100environmental-severity index
2.7°Cseasonal temperature swing
244 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 #107 largest gas power plant of 195 in Brazil by capacity.

Brazil has 195 gas power plants in this dataset, together about 74,861 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates -4.8141, -44.3436 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Parnaíba IV?

Parnaíba IV is a 56 MW source-record gas power plant in Maranhao, Brazil, commissioned in 2013.

How many homes can Parnaíba IV power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 63,409 homes (estimated).

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