Rusal power station — Jamaica

Rusal power station is a 90 MW coal power plant in Saint Catherine, Jamaica. It is operated by United Company RUSAL PJSC [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 113k homes (estimated). It ranks #6 of 13 Jamaica power plants by installed capacity. In context, coal supplies about 0.0% of Jamaica's electricity; the national grid averages 563 gCO₂/kWh (12.6% low-carbon) (2024).

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

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

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 Jamaica coal capacity

8.3% of 1,090 MW across 2 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 Jamaica

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

Owner

Operated by United Company RUSAL PJSC [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 tropical savanna climate (Köppen Aw) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 18.2°N — 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 an aggressive, high-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C5 — Very high), 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 #2 largest coal power plant of 2 in Jamaica by capacity.

Jamaica has 2 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 1,090 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

• Upper White River · Hydro · 3.6 MW · Saint Ann
• Lower White River · Hydro · 4.8 MW · Saint Ann
• Old Harbour · Oil · 347.5 MW · Saint Catherine
• Jamalco power station · Gas · 150 MW · Clarendon
• Content · Solar · 20 MW · Clarendon
• Hunts Bay · Oil · 122.5 MW · Kingston

Location

Coordinates 18.183333, -77.083333 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions