Penal

Gas power plant in Penal/Debe, Trinidad and Tobago. Approximate location 10.1476, -61.4747.

GasPenal/DebeTrinidad and TobagoCCGT · HRSG

Penal is a 234 MW gas power station in Penal/Debe, Trinidad and Tobago. It is operated by Power Generation Company of Trinidad and Tobago. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 264k homes (estimated). It ranks #4 of 6 Trinidad and Tobago power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2016, it is around 10 years old — relatively modern. In context, gas supplies about 99.5% of Trinidad and Tobago's electricity; the national grid averages 682 gCO₂/kWh (0.1% low-carbon) (2024).

234Source-backed capacity
1HRSG unit(s)
263,550homes powered (est.)
2016commissioned (~10 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1002029.

Data status

Known data

FacilityPenal WRI
CountryTrinidad and Tobago · Penal/Debe WRI
Coordinates10.1476, -61.4747 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity234 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerPower Generation Company of Trinidad and Tobago WRI
Commissioned2016 WRI
TechnologyCCGT · HRSG WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions368,971 t CO₂/yr calculated
Capacity rank in country#4 of 6 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#3 of 4 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent263,550 calculated
Climate26.4°C · HDD 0 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC5 · 48/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

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/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 operating-unit sum (location L100000406615); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

Technically it is described as CCGT; combined-cycle with a heat-recovery steam generator (HRSG). 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 Trinidad and Tobago

Point Lisas: 812 MW812Point LisasUnion Estate Power Station: 720 MW720Union Esta…Penal: 234 MW234PenalCove Power Station: 66 MW66Cove Power…

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

Owner

Operated by Power Generation Company of Trinidad and Tobago.

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 monsoon climate (Köppen Am) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 10.1°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

26.4°Cannual mean temp
0heating degree-days (base 18°C)
3,070cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
42 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 25 °CJF: 26 °CFM: 26 °CMA: 27 °CAM: 27 °CMJ: 27 °CJJ: 26 °CJA: 27 °CAS: 27 °CSO: 27 °CON: 26 °CND: 26 °CD27 °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 an aggressive, high-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C5 — Very high), with marine salt corrosion the leading environmental stress.

C5ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
48/100environmental-severity index
1.7°Cseasonal temperature swing
27 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 #3 largest gas power plant of 4 in Trinidad and Tobago by capacity.

Trinidad and Tobago has 4 gas power plants in this dataset, together about 1,832 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 10.1476, -61.4747 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Penal?

Penal is a 234 MW source-record gas power plant in Penal/Debe, Trinidad and Tobago, commissioned in 2016.

How many homes can Penal power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 263,550 homes (estimated).

Who operates Penal?

Penal is operated by Power Generation Company of Trinidad and Tobago.

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