Tula — Mexico
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).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id MEX0001801.
Data status
Known data
Calculated from dataset
Not available
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).
Data provenance
Source of the capacity and fuel values:
capacity: GEM · 2026 · L100000406256; fuel: WRI GPPD
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.
Key facts
- Share of Mexico gas capacity
- 0.8% of 58,538 MW across 129 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 1 of 80 dated gas plants in Mexico is older
Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).
Capacity vs largest gas plants in Mexico
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.
Monthly mean temperature
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
This site sits in a benign, low-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C1 — Very low), with dust abrasion 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 #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
- Francisco Pérez Ríos (Tula) · Oil · 1,605.6 MW · Hidalgo
- Pemex-Refinación Refinería Miguel Hidalgo · Gas · 133.7 MW · Hidalgo
- PTAR Atotonilco power station · Biomass · 33 MW · Hidalgo
- Juandhó power station · Gas · 650 MW · Hidalgo
- Jorge Luque power station · Gas · 1,660 MW · State of Mexico
- Valle de México (CC) · Gas · 549.3 MW · State of Mexico
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 gas power plant in Hidalgo, Mexico, commissioned in 1975.
Who operates Tula?
Tula is operated by CFE.