Pasabien — Guatemala
Hydro power plant in Zacapa, Guatemala. Approximate location 15.06, -89.711.
HydroZacapaGuatemala
Pasabien is a 12.8 MW hydro power plant in Zacapa, Guatemala. Based on reported annual generation of 37 GWh, it can supply roughly 11k homes. It ranks #56 of 77 Guatemala power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2000, it is around 26 years old — long-established. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 39.9% of Guatemala's electricity; the national grid averages 301 gCO₂/kWh (68.3% low-carbon) (2024).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1061404.
Data status
Known data
Calculated from dataset
Not available
Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.
Data provenance
Capacity and fuel are the upstream open-dataset record, not yet matched to a 2026 registry or GEM entry.
capacity: WRI GPPD; fuel: WRI GPPD
In context: how this plant compares
At 12.8 MW, Pasabien is around the median hydro plant in Guatemala (12.8 MW). Hydropower converts the energy of falling or flowing water into electricity; output depends on rainfall and reservoir level, and large dams also provide grid balancing and storage.
Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.
Key facts
- Load factor
- 33%, from 37 GWh of reported generation; the median for 24 hydro plants in Guatemala that report generation is 39%
- Share of Guatemala hydro capacity
- 1.3% of 1,003 MW across 30 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 10 of 30 dated hydro plants in Guatemala are older
Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).
Capacity vs largest hydro plants in Guatemala
Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Local climate & thermal context
This hydro plant converts the energy of falling or flowing water through hydro turbines. It sits in a tropical monsoon climate (Köppen Am) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 15.1°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 a moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with humidity / wetness 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 #15 largest hydro power plant of 30 in Guatemala by capacity.
Guatemala has 30 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 1,003 MW of capacity.
Nearby power plants
- Sibo · Solar · 5 MW · Zacapa
- Candelaria · Hydro · 4.6 MW · Alta Verapaz
- Secacao · Hydro · 16.5 MW · Alta Verapaz
- Choloma · Hydro · 9.7 MW · Alta Verapaz
- San Isidro · Hydro · 3.9 MW · Baja Verapaz
- Matanzas · Hydro · 12 MW · Baja Verapaz
Location
Coordinates 15.06, -89.711 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Pasabien?
Pasabien is a 12.8 MW hydro power plant in Zacapa, Guatemala, commissioned in 2000.
How much electricity does Pasabien generate?
Pasabien generates about 37 GWh of electricity per year.