Ponta do Costa — Brazil

Ponta do Costa is a 4 MW gas power plant in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 4.5k homes (estimated). It ranks #1737 of 2,572 Brazil power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2001, it is around 25 years old — relatively modern. In context, gas supplies about 7.3% of Brazil's electricity; the national grid averages 110 gCO₂/kWh (88.7% low-carbon) (2025).

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id BRA0028199.

Data provenance

Source of the capacity and fuel values:

capacity: ANEEL SIGA official registry; fuel: WRI GPPD

In context: how this plant compares

At 4 MW, Ponta do Costa is below the median gas plant in Brazil (100.2 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.

Key facts

Share of Brazil gas capacity

less than 0.1% of 74,861 MW across 195 plants in this dataset

Age among peers

24 of 140 dated gas plants in Brazil are older

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 Brazil

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

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 savanna climate (Köppen Aw) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 22.9°S — 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 ~5% 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 extreme marine/tropical environment (estimated ISO 9223 class CX — Extreme), 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 #147 largest gas power plant of 195 in Brazil by capacity.

Brazil has 195 gas power plants in this dataset, together about 74,861 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

• Shopping Park dos Lagos · Oil · 2.24 MW · Rio de Janeiro
• PROLAGOS CONCESSIONÁRIA DE SERVIÇOS PÚBLICOS - BOOSTER SERGEIRA · Oil · 1.54 MW · Rio de Janeiro
• PROLAGOS CONCESSIONÁRIA DE SERVIÇOS PÚBLICOS - BOOSTER CARIJOJO · Oil · 3.03 MW · Rio de Janeiro
• Agrisa Agroindustrial São João Sa power station · Biomass · 5 MW · Rio de Janeiro
• PROLAGOS CONCESSIONÁRIA DE SERVIÇOS PÚBLICOS - ETA JUTURNAÍBA · Oil · 3.03 MW · Rio de Janeiro
• Plaza Macaé · Oil · 1.2 MW · Rio de Janeiro

Location

Coordinates -22.875, -42.0095 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions