Puerto Barrios Iberdrola power station — Guatemala
Coal power plant in Izabal, Guatemala. Approximate location 15.716667, -88.583333.
CoalIzabalGuatemalasubcritical
Puerto Barrios Iberdrola power station is a 300 MW coal power station in Izabal, Guatemala. It is operated by Iberdrola Renovables SA [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 375k homes (estimated). It ranks #3 of 77 Guatemala power plants by installed capacity. In context, coal supplies about 15.8% of Guatemala's electricity; the national grid averages 301 gCO₂/kWh (68.3% low-carbon) (2024).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id GEM_coa_puertobarriosiberdro_guate.
Data status
Known data
Calculated from dataset
Not available
Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.
Data provenance
Capacity and fuel are the upstream open-dataset record, not yet matched to a 2026 registry or GEM entry.
capacity: GEM GCPT; fuel: GEM GCPT
In context: how this plant compares
At 300 MW, Puerto Barrios Iberdrola power station is well above the median coal plant in Guatemala (139 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 Guatemala coal capacity
- 35.0% of 856 MW across 6 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 Guatemala
Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Owner
Operated by Iberdrola Renovables SA [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 monsoon climate (Köppen Am) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 15.7°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 a corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), 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 6 in Guatemala by capacity.
Guatemala has 6 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 856 MW of capacity.
Nearby power plants
- GENOR · Oil · 46.2 MW · Izabal
- Rio Bobos · Hydro · 10 MW · Santa Barbara
- Cuyamel · Hydro · 8 MW · Cortes
- Cerveceria · Waste · 2.5 MW · Cortes
- PECSA power station · Gas · 54 MW · Cortés
- ELCOSA · Oil · 80 MW · Cortes
Location
Coordinates 15.716667, -88.583333 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Puerto Barrios Iberdrola power station?
Puerto Barrios Iberdrola power station is a 300 MW coal power plant in Izabal, Guatemala.
Who operates Puerto Barrios Iberdrola power station?
Puerto Barrios Iberdrola power station is operated by Iberdrola Renovables SA [100%].