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Pedras Altas power station

Coal power plant in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Approximate location -31.732865, -53.58575.

CoalRio Grande do SulBrazil

Pedras Altas power station is a 600 MW coal power station in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. It is operated by Ouro Negro Energia SA [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 751k homes (estimated). It ranks #87 of 2,572 Brazil power plants by installed capacity. In context, coal supplies about 2.3% of Brazil's electricity; the national grid averages 110 gCO₂/kWh (88.7% low-carbon) (2025).

600MW installed capacity
750,857homes powered (est.)

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

Data status

Known data

FacilityPedras Altas power station GEM-coal
CountryBrazil · Rio Grande do Sul GEM-coal
Coordinates-31.732865, -53.58575 GEM-coal
FuelCoal GEM-coal
MW installed capacity600 MW GEM GCPT; source record
OwnerOuro Negro Energia SA [100%] GEM-coal

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions2,628,000 t CO₂·a⁻¹ calculated
Capacity rank in country#87 / 2572 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#6 / 30 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers2.29× · 262 MW · n=30 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent750,857 calculated
Environmental severityC3 · 32/100 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 600 MW, Pedras Altas power station is well above the median coal plant in Brazil (262 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 Brazil

Açu power station: 2,100 MW2kAçu power …Presidente Médici Candiota power station: 796 MW796Presidente…Nova Seival power station: 726 MW726Nova Seiva…CTSul power station: 650 MW650CTSul powe…Barcarena Vale power station: 600 MW600Barcarena …Pedras Altas power station: 600 MW600Pedras Alt…Presidente Médici A B: 446 MW446Presidente…Porto do Pecém II: 365 MW365Porto do P…

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

Owner

Operated by Ouro Negro Energia SA [100%].

Climate zone & how it works

This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 31.7°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

~18°Ctypical annual mean
~27°Ctypical warm-season mean
Humid subtropical: hot summers and mild winters

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 moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C3ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
32/100environmental-severity index
11.2°Cseasonal temperature swing
154 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 #6 largest coal power plant of 30 in Brazil by capacity.

Brazil has 30 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 9,486 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates -31.732865, -53.58575 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Pedras Altas power station?

Pedras Altas power station is a 600 MW coal power plant in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

How many homes can Pedras Altas power station power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 750,857 homes (estimated).

Who operates Pedras Altas power station?

Pedras Altas power station is operated by Ouro Negro Energia SA [100%].

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