Plutarco Elías Calles (Petacalco) — Mexico

Plutarco Elías Calles (Petacalco) is a 2,778.4 MW coal power station in Michoacan, Mexico. It is operated by CFE. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 3.5 million homes (estimated). It ranks #1 of 366 Mexico power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1993, it is around 33 years old — long-established. Its modelled annual emissions are 6,926,400 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 1.6 million cars driven for a year. In context, coal supplies about 3.0% 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 MEX0001765.

Data provenance

Source of the capacity and fuel values:

capacity: GEM · 2026 · L100000103031; fuel: WRI GPPD

In context: how this plant compares

Technically it is described as subcritical. 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.

~6,926,400 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 coal capacity

47.7% of 5,828 MW across 4 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 coal plants in Mexico

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

Owner

Operated by CFE. All plants by this company →

Local climate & thermal context

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 18.0°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 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 #1 largest coal power plant of 4 in Mexico by capacity.

Mexico has 4 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 5,828 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

• La Villita · Hydro · 320 MW · Michoacan
• Infiernillo · Hydro · 1,200 MW · Michoacan
• Gobierno del Estado · Hydro · 4.1 MW · Michoacan
• Cóbano · Hydro · 60 MW · Michoacan
• Cupatitzio · Hydro · 80 MW · Michoacan
• Ingenio Lázaro Cárdenas · Biomass · 5.5 MW · Michoacan

Location

Coordinates 17.9837, -102.1154 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions