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Pointe Aux Caves power station

Coal power plant in Rivière Noire, Mauritius. Approximate location -20.333333, 57.416667.

CoalRivière NoireMauritiussubcritical

Pointe Aux Caves power station is a 110 MW coal power station in Rivière Noire, Mauritius. It is operated by Mauritius CT Power Ltd [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 138k homes (estimated). It ranks #3 of 24 Mauritius power plants by installed capacity. In context, coal supplies about 39.3% of Mauritius's electricity; the national grid averages 642 gCO₂/kWh (17.9% low-carbon) (2024).

110MW installed capacity
137,657homes powered (est.)

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

Data status

Known data

FacilityPointe Aux Caves power station GEM-coal
CountryMauritius · Rivière Noire GEM-coal
Coordinates-20.333333, 57.416667 GEM-coal
FuelCoal GEM-coal
MW installed capacity110 MW GEM GCPT; source record
OwnerMauritius CT Power Ltd [100%] GEM-coal
Technologysubcritical GEM-coal

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions481,800 t CO₂·a⁻¹ calculated
Capacity rank in country#3 / 24 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#1 / 5 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.57× · 70 MW · n=5 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent137,657 calculated
Climate22.0°C · HDD 0 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC5 · 46/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

CommissionedNot 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 110 MW, Pointe Aux Caves power station is well above the median coal plant in Mauritius (70 MW). 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.

Capacity vs largest coal plants in Mauritius

Pointe Aux Caves power station: 110 MW110Pointe Aux…Savannah Estate Sidec power station: 105 MW105Savannah E…Belle Vue power station: 70 MW70Belle Vue …Ctds power station: 35 MW35Ctds power…Union St Aubin: 15 MW15Union St A…

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

Owner

Operated by Mauritius CT Power Ltd [100%].

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 As) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 20.3°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

22.0°Cannual mean temp
0heating degree-days (base 18°C)
1,448cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
291 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 25 °CJF: 25 °CFM: 24 °CMA: 23 °CAM: 22 °CMJ: 20 °CJJ: 19 °CJA: 19 °CAS: 20 °CSO: 21 °CON: 22 °CND: 24 °CD25 °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.

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)
46/100environmental-severity index
5.6°Cseasonal temperature swing
19 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 Mauritius by capacity.

Mauritius has 5 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 335 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates -20.333333, 57.416667 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Pointe Aux Caves power station?

Pointe Aux Caves power station is a 110 MW coal power plant in Rivière Noire, Mauritius.

How many homes can Pointe Aux Caves power station power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 137,657 homes (estimated).

Who operates Pointe Aux Caves power station?

Pointe Aux Caves power station is operated by Mauritius CT Power Ltd [100%].

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