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Uruguaiana

Gas power plant in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Approximate location -29.7652, -57.0002.

GasRio Grande do SulBrazilCCGT · HRSG

Uruguaiana is a 640 MW gas power station in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. It is operated by Âmbar Energia SA. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 721k homes (estimated). It ranks #79 of 2,572 Brazil power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2000, it is around 26 years old — long-established. In context, gas supplies about 7.3% of Brazil's electricity; the national grid averages 110 gCO₂/kWh (88.7% low-carbon) (2025).

640Source-backed capacity
1HRSG unit(s)
720,822homes powered (est.)
2000commissioned (~26 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id BRA0002913.

Data status

Known data

FacilityUruguaiana WRI
CountryBrazil · Rio Grande do Sul WRI
Coordinates-29.7652, -57.0002 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity640 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerÂmbar Energia SA WRI
Commissioned2000 WRI
TechnologyCCGT · HRSG WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions1,009,152 t CO₂/yr calculated
Capacity rank in country#79 of 2572 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#36 of 195 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers6.39× · 100 MW median · 195 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent720,822 calculated
Climate19.6°C · HDD 464 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 34/100 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.

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 L100000406540); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 640 MW, Uruguaiana is well above the median gas plant in Brazil (100 MW). Technically it is described as CCGT; combined-cycle with a heat-recovery steam generator (HRSG). 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 Brazil

Porto Norte Fluminense power station: 3,400 MW3kPorto Nort…Porto de Sergipe power station: 2,909 MW3kPorto de S…Power Maricá power station: 2,600 MW3kPower Mari…Jandaia power station: 2,430 MW2kJandaia po…Vila do Conde power station: 2,310 MW2kVila do Co…Termopecém power station: 2,240 MW2kTermopecém…Tupã power station: 2,040 MW2kTupã power…GNA III power station: 1,927 MW2kGNA III po…

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

Owner

Operated by Âmbar Energia SA. 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 humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 29.8°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

19.6°Cannual mean temp
464heating degree-days (base 18°C)
1,038cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
105 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 26 °CJF: 25 °CFM: 23 °CMA: 20 °CAM: 16 °CMJ: 14 °CJJ: 13 °CJA: 15 °CAS: 17 °CSO: 20 °CON: 22 °CND: 25 °CD26 °C

Heating degree-days here run 81% 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: 20/100 — this site sits in the bottom third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

A gas turbine here also runs ~3% 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 moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C3ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
34/100environmental-severity index
12.5°Cseasonal temperature swing
522 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 #36 largest gas power plant of 195 in Brazil by capacity.

Brazil has 195 gas power plants in this dataset, together about 74,861 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates -29.7652, -57.0002 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Uruguaiana?

Uruguaiana is a 640 MW source-record gas power plant in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, commissioned in 2000.

How many homes can Uruguaiana power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 720,822 homes (estimated).

Who operates Uruguaiana?

Uruguaiana is operated by Âmbar Energia SA.

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