San Juan (PR) power station — Puerto Rico

San Juan (PR) power station is a 840 MW oil power station in Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico. It is operated by Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 631k homes (estimated). It ranks #3 of 10 Puerto Rico power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1965, it is around 61 years old — an older, legacy facility.

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

Data provenance

Source of the capacity and fuel values:

capacity: GEM · 2026 · L100000406862; fuel: GEM GOGPT

In context: how this plant compares

At 840 MW, San Juan (PR) power station is well above the median oil plant in Puerto Rico (752 MW). Technically it is described as CCGT; combined-cycle with a heat-recovery steam generator (HRSG). Oil-fired plants burn heavy fuel oil or diesel, usually as peaking or backup capacity on islands and grids without gas pipelines; high fuel cost keeps their utilisation low.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

Key facts

Share of Puerto Rico oil capacity

23.7% of 3,550 MW across 5 plants in this dataset

Age among peers

1 of 5 dated oil plants in Puerto Rico is older

Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).

Capacity vs largest oil plants in Puerto Rico

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

Owner

Operated by Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority [100%].

Local climate & thermal context

This oil plant burns oil or diesel to drive turbines or reciprocating engines. It sits in a tropical monsoon climate (Köppen Am) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 18.4°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 #2 largest oil power plant of 5 in Puerto Rico by capacity.

Puerto Rico has 5 oil power plants in this dataset, together about 3,550 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

• San Juan CC · Oil · 840 MW · Catano
• San Juan II power plant · Gas · 560 MW · Puerto Rico
• Palo Seco · Oil · 602 MW · Toa Baja
• Palo Seco power station · Oil · 752 MW · Palo Seco
• Palo Seco · Gas · 126 MW · Toa Baja
• San Fermin Solar Farm · Solar · 27 MW · Canovanas

Location

Coordinates 18.427737, -66.104997 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions