Tula

Gas power plant in Hidalgo, Mexico. Approximate location 20.0596, -99.2774.

GasHidalgoMexicoCCGT · HRSGSiemens Energy: SGT6-5000F

Tula is a 489 MW gas power station in Hidalgo, Mexico. It is operated by CFE. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 551k homes (estimated). It ranks #75 of 366 Mexico power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1975, it is around 51 years old — an older, legacy facility. In context, gas supplies about 61.6% of Mexico's electricity; the national grid averages 474 gCO₂/kWh (25.9% low-carbon) (2025).

489Source-backed capacity
2HRSG unit(s)
550,753homes powered (est.)
1975commissioned (~51 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id MEX0001801.

Data status

Known data

FacilityTula WRI
CountryMexico · Hidalgo WRI
Coordinates20.0596, -99.2774 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity489 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerCFE WRI
Commissioned1975 WRI
TechnologyCCGT · Siemens Energy: SGT6-5000F · HRSG WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions771,055 t CO₂/yr calculated
Capacity rank in country#75 of 366 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#53 of 129 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.33× · 368 MW median · 129 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent550,753 calculated
Climate15.6°C · HDD 869 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC1 · 32/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset

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

Capacity provenance

The public capacity above is the current source-record value. A 2026 tracker candidate lists 2,172 MW for Tula power station, but it is not used as the public primary value until scope is verified (unit vs operating vs installed/project total).

Capacity claim grade: A3_MAJOR_REVIEW_SCOPE_STATUS - recommended action: manual_scope_status_check - confidence: low_until_scope_verified. This follows a claim-based data model: value + scope + source + confidence, rather than silently overwriting records.

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 L100000406256); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 489 MW, Tula is well above the median gas plant in Mexico (368 MW). Technically it is described as CCGT; combined-cycle with a heat-recovery steam generator (HRSG); Siemens Energy: SGT6-5000F. Gas plants burn natural gas either in open-cycle turbines for fast peaking, or in combined-cycle units that recover exhaust heat in an HRSG to reach roughly 55–62% efficiency — the cleanest-burning fossil option.

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

Capacity vs largest gas plants in Mexico

Noreste (Escobedo) power station: 1,680 MW2kNoreste (E…Jorge Luque power station: 1,660 MW2kJorge Luqu…Energía de Celaya power station: 1,617 MW2kEnergía de…Empalme I power station: 1,482 MW1kEmpalme I …Tuxpan III y IV: 1,180 MW1kTuxpan III…Tamazunchale: 1,179 MW1kTamazuncha…Altamira V: 1,155 MW1kAltamira VTajín Energía power station: 1,146 MW1kTajín Ener…

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

Owner

Operated by CFE. All plants by this company →

Local climate & thermal context

This gas plant burns natural gas in a turbine — often in a combined-cycle setup — to generate electricity. It sits in a cold semi-arid steppe climate (Köppen BSk) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 20.1°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

15.6°Cannual mean temp
869heating degree-days (base 18°C)
7cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
2,265 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 12 °CJF: 14 °CFM: 16 °CMA: 17 °CAM: 18 °CMJ: 18 °CJJ: 17 °CJA: 17 °CAS: 16 °CSO: 15 °CON: 14 °CND: 13 °CD18 °C

Heating degree-days here run 65% 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: 25/100 — this site sits in the bottom third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

A gas turbine here also runs ~0% below its ISO (15°C) rating at this annual mean (typical CCGT curve, estimate).

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 benign, low-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C1 — Very low), with dust abrasion the leading environmental stress.

C1ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
32/100environmental-severity index
5.8°Cseasonal temperature swing
224 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 #53 largest gas power plant of 129 in Mexico by capacity.

Mexico has 129 gas power plants in this dataset, together about 58,538 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 20.0596, -99.2774 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Tula?

Tula is a 489 MW source-record gas power plant in Hidalgo, Mexico, commissioned in 1975.

How many homes can Tula power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 550,753 homes (estimated).

Who operates Tula?

Tula is operated by CFE.

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