QUELTEHUES — Chile
Hydro power plant in Santiago Metropolitan, Chile. Approximate location -33.8128, -70.2193.
HydroSantiago MetropolitanChile
QUELTEHUES is a 49 MW hydro power plant in Santiago Metropolitan, Chile. It is operated by AES GENER S.A.. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 49k homes (estimated). It ranks #133 of 336 Chile power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1928, it is around 98 years old — an older, legacy facility. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 22.2% of Chile's electricity; the national grid averages 289 gCO₂/kWh (66.4% low-carbon) (2025).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id CHL0001103.
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
Source of the capacity and fuel values:
capacity: GEM · 2026 · L100001022944; fuel: WRI GPPD
In context: how this plant compares
At 49 MW, QUELTEHUES is well above the median hydro plant in Chile (12 MW). Hydropower converts the energy of falling or flowing water into electricity; output depends on rainfall and reservoir level, and large dams also provide grid balancing and storage.
Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.
Key facts
- Share of Chile hydro capacity
- 0.8% of 6,416 MW across 99 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 1 of 33 dated hydro plants in Chile is older
Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).
Capacity vs largest hydro plants in Chile
Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Owner
Operated by AES GENER S.A..
Local climate & thermal context
This hydro plant converts the energy of falling or flowing water through hydro turbines. It sits in a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csb) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 33.8°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.
Monthly mean temperature
Heating degree-days here run 129% above the median power plant in this dataset — a proxy for how much extra energy heated equipment must replace through its surfaces in winter.
Climate heat-demand index: 97/100 — this site sits in the top third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.
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 mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — Low), 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 #27 largest hydro power plant of 99 in Chile by capacity.
Chile has 99 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 6,416 MW of capacity.
Nearby power plants
Location
Coordinates -33.8128, -70.2193 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is QUELTEHUES?
QUELTEHUES is a 49 MW hydro power plant in Santiago Metropolitan, Chile, commissioned in 1928.
Who operates QUELTEHUES?
QUELTEHUES is operated by AES GENER S.A..