San Jose — Guatemala

San Jose is a 139 MW coal power station in Escuintla, Guatemala. It is operated by Corporación Energías de Guatemala SA [100%]. Based on reported annual generation of 1,045 GWh, it can supply roughly 298k homes. It ranks #6 of 77 Guatemala power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2000, it is around 26 years old — long-established. 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 WRI1061419.

Data provenance

Source of the capacity and fuel values:

capacity: GEM · 2026 · L100000102009; fuel: WRI GPPD

In context: how this plant compares

At 139 MW, San Jose is around 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

Load factor

86%, from 1,045 GWh of reported generation

Share of Guatemala coal capacity

16.2% of 856 MW across 6 plants in this dataset

Age among peers

0 of 5 dated coal plants in Guatemala 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 Guatemala

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

Owner

Operated by Corporación Energías de Guatemala 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 savanna climate (Köppen Aw) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 14.2°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 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 #3 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

• Trinidad · Biomass · 86.8 MW · Escuintla
• Jaguar Energy power station · Coal · 300 MW · Escuintla
• SIDEGUA · Oil · 44 MW · Escuintla
• Tampa · Oil · 80 MW · Escuintla
• Santa Ana · Biomass · 104.5 MW · Escuintla
• Escuintla Gas 3 · Oil · 35 MW · Escuintla

Location

Coordinates 14.16, -90.787 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions