Presidente Médici Candiota power station — Brazil

Presidente Médici Candiota power station is a 796 MW coal power station in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. It is operated by Âmbar Energia SA [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 996k homes (estimated). It ranks #67 of 2,572 Brazil power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1974, it is around 52 years old — an older, legacy facility. In context, coal supplies about 2.3% 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 GEM_coa_presidentemedicicand_brazi.

Capacity provenance

The public capacity above is the current source-record value. A 2026 tracker candidate lists 350 MW for Presidente Médici Candiota power station, but it is not used as the public primary value until scope is verified (unit vs operating vs installed/project total).

Data provenance

Source of the capacity and fuel values:

capacity: GEM · 2026 · L100000100131; fuel: GEM GCPT

In context: how this plant compares

At 796 MW, Presidente Médici Candiota power station is well above the median coal plant in Brazil (262 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.

Key facts

Share of Brazil coal capacity

8.4% of 9,486 MW across 30 plants in this dataset

Age among peers

3 of 22 dated coal 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 coal plants in Brazil

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

Owner

Operated by Âmbar Energia SA [100%].

Climate zone & how it works

This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 31.6°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

Climate zone & typical temperatures: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid).

Site climate & environmental severity

This site sits in a moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with humidity / wetness 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 #2 largest coal power plant of 30 in Brazil by capacity.

Brazil has 30 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 9,486 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

• Presidente Médici A B · Coal · 446 MW · Rio Grande do Sul
• Candiota III · Coal · 350 MW · Rio Grande do Sul
• Nova Seival power station · Coal · 726 MW · Rio Grande do Sul
• Pampa Sul power station · Coal · 345 MW · Rio Grande do Sul
• Piratini power station · Biomass · 10 MW · Rio Grande do Sul
• Pedras Altas power station · Coal · 600 MW · Rio Grande do Sul

Location

Coordinates -31.5513644, -53.6830179 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions