Pemex-Gas y Petroquímica Básica Complejo Procesador de Gas Cactus — Mexico

Pemex-Gas y Petroquímica Básica Complejo Procesador de Gas Cactus is a 120.7 MW gas power station in Chiapas, Mexico. It is operated by Pemex. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 136k homes (estimated). It ranks #169 of 366 Mexico power plants by installed capacity. Its modelled annual emissions are 296,470 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 69k cars driven for a year. In context, gas supplies about 61.6% of Mexico's electricity; the national grid averages 474 gCO₂/kWh (25.9% low-carbon) (2025).

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id MEX0001846.

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 120.7 MW, Pemex-Gas y Petroquímica Básica Complejo Procesador de Gas Cactus is below the median gas plant in Mexico (368 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.

~296,470 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

Equivalencies via US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies; modelled emissions from Climate TRACE.

Key facts

Share of Mexico gas capacity

0.2% of 58,538 MW across 129 plants in this dataset

Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).

Capacity vs largest gas plants in Mexico

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

Owner

Operated by Pemex. All plants by this company →

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 rainforest climate (Köppen Af) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 17.9°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.

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

This site sits in an aggressive, high-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C5 — Very high), with marine salt corrosion 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 #113 largest gas power plant of 129 in Mexico by capacity.

Mexico has 129 gas power plants in this dataset, together about 58,538 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

• Pemex-Gas y Petroquímica Básica Complejo Procesador de Gas Nuevo Pemex · Gas · 367.4 MW · Chiapas
• CPG NUEVO PEMEX · Oil · 300 MW · Chiapas
• Atlantica Nuevo Pemex cogen power station · Gas · 300 MW · Tabasco
• Abent 3t power station · Gas · 266 MW · Tabasco
• Santa Rosalía · Biomass · 25.2 MW · Tabasco
• Cactus Cogen power station · Gas · 530 MW · Tabasco

Location

Coordinates 17.8992, -93.1928 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions