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Paso Diablo power station

Coal power plant in Zulia, Venezuela. Approximate location 10.902, -72.236.

CoalZuliaVenezuela

Paso Diablo power station is a 1,000 MW coal power station in Zulia, Venezuela. It is operated by Petróleos de Venezuela SA; Corporación Eléctrica Nacional (Venezuela) SA. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 1.3 million homes (estimated). It ranks #9 of 59 Venezuela power plants by installed capacity. In context, coal supplies about 0.0% of Venezuela's electricity; the national grid averages 86 gCO₂/kWh (91.1% low-carbon) (2024).

1,000MW installed capacity
1,251,428homes powered (est.)

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

Data status

Known data

FacilityPaso Diablo power station GEM-coal
CountryVenezuela · Zulia GEM-coal
Coordinates10.902, -72.236 GEM-coal
FuelCoal GEM-coal
MW installed capacity1,000 MW GEM GCPT; source record
OwnerPetróleos de Venezuela SA; Corporación Eléctrica Nacional (Venezuela) SA GEM-coal

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions4,380,000 t CO₂·a⁻¹ calculated
Capacity rank in country#9 / 59 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#1 / 5 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers3.33× · 300 MW · n=5 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent1,251,428 calculated
Environmental severityC4 · 41/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

CommissionedNot 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.

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: GEM GCPT; fuel: GEM GCPT

In context: how this plant compares

At 1,000 MW, Paso Diablo power station is well above the median coal plant in Venezuela (300 MW). Coal plants burn pulverised coal to raise high-pressure steam for a turbine; they run as baseload but are the most carbon-intensive mainstream source and the first targeted for retirement or efficiency retrofits.

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

Capacity vs largest coal plants in Venezuela

Paso Diablo power station: 1,000 MW1kPaso Diabl…Campo Junín power station: 900 MW900Campo Juní…Complejo José Antonio power station: 300 MW300Complejo J…Refinación Paraguaná RA power station: 300 MW300Refinación…Santo Domingo Cadafe power station: 300 MW300Santo Domi…

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

Owner

Operated by Petróleos de Venezuela SA; Corporación Eléctrica Nacional (Venezuela) SA.

Climate zone & how it works

This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a tropical savanna climate (Köppen Aw) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 10.9°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

~26°Ctypical annual mean
~29°Ctypical warm-season mean
Tropical savanna: warm all year, with distinct wet and dry seasons

Climate zone & typical temperatures: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid).

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)
41/100environmental-severity index
2.0°Cseasonal temperature swing
89 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 #1 largest coal power plant of 5 in Venezuela by capacity.

Venezuela has 5 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 2,800 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 10.902, -72.236 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Paso Diablo power station?

Paso Diablo power station is a 1,000 MW coal power plant in Zulia, Venezuela.

How many homes can Paso Diablo power station power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 1,251,428 homes (estimated).

Who operates Paso Diablo power station?

Paso Diablo power station is operated by Petróleos de Venezuela SA; Corporación Eléctrica Nacional (Venezuela) SA.

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