Renace

Hydro power plant in Alta Verapaz, Guatemala. Approximate location 15.5, -90.174.

HydroAlta VerapazGuatemalaunknown

Renace is a 68 MW hydro power plant in Alta Verapaz, Guatemala. It is operated by Recursos Naturales y Celulosas SA [100%]. Based on reported annual generation of 218 GWh, it can supply roughly 62k homes. It ranks #21 of 77 Guatemala power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2004, it is around 22 years old — relatively modern. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 39.9% of Guatemala's electricity; the national grid averages 301 gCO₂/kWh (68.3% low-carbon) (2024).

68Source-backed capacity
218GWh reported / yr
62,371homes powered
2004commissioned (~22 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1061406.

Data status

Known data

FacilityRenace WRI
CountryGuatemala · Alta Verapaz WRI
Coordinates15.5, -90.174 WRI
FuelHydro WRI
MW installed capacity68 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerRecursos Naturales y Celulosas SA [100%] WRI
Commissioned2004 WRI
Technologyunknown WRI
GWh reported / yr218 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#21 of 77 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#5 of 30 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers5.32× · 13 MW median · 30 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent62,371 calculated from reported generation
Climate17.9°C · HDD 204 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 28/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset
CO₂ emissionsnot applicable not applicable

Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.

Data provenance

The capacity and/or fuel fields on this page include a source-backed provenance label from GEM, an official registry, Wikidata, OSM, or a cross-source match.

capacity: GEM tracker 2026 (location L100001023062); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 68 MW, Renace is well above the median hydro plant in Guatemala (13 MW). Technically it is described as unknown. 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.

Capacity vs largest hydro plants in Guatemala

Chixoy: 300 MW300ChixoyXacbal: 97 MW97XacbalPalo Viejo: 87 MW87Palo ViejoAguacapa: 80 MW80AguacapaRenace: 68 MW68RenaceJurun Marinala: 60 MW60Jurun Mari…El Canada: 48 MW48El CanadaLas Vacas: 39 MW39Las Vacas

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

Owner

Operated by Recursos Naturales y Celulosas SA [100%].

Local climate & thermal context

This hydro plant converts the energy of falling or flowing water through hydro turbines. It sits in a tropical monsoon climate (Köppen Am) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 15.5°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

17.9°Cannual mean temp
204heating degree-days (base 18°C)
186cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
1,582 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 16 °CJF: 16 °CFM: 18 °CMA: 19 °CAM: 20 °CMJ: 19 °CJJ: 19 °CJA: 19 °CAS: 19 °CSO: 18 °CON: 17 °CND: 16 °CD20 °C

Heating degree-days here run 92% below 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: 17/100 — this site sits in the bottom 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

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 a moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C3ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
28/100environmental-severity index
3.8°Cseasonal temperature swing
187 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 #5 largest hydro power plant of 30 in Guatemala by capacity.

Guatemala has 30 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 1,003 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 15.5, -90.174 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Renace?

Renace is a 68 MW source-record hydro power plant in Alta Verapaz, Guatemala, commissioned in 2004.

How much electricity does Renace generate?

Renace generates about 218 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Renace power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 62,371 homes.

Who operates Renace?

Renace is operated by Recursos Naturales y Celulosas SA [100%].

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