Home / South America / Argentina / Villa María power station

Villa María power station

Gas power plant in Córdoba, Argentina. Approximate location -32.426774, -63.174047.

GasCórdobaArgentinaCCGT · HRSG

Villa María power station is a 250 MW gas power station in Córdoba, Argentina. It is operated by MSU Energy [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 282k homes (estimated). It ranks #48 of 275 Argentina power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2020, it is around 6 years old — recently built. In context, gas supplies about 52.7% of Argentina's electricity; the national grid averages 346 gCO₂/kWh (41.6% low-carbon) (2025).

250MW installed capacity
1HRSG unit(s)
281,571homes powered (est.)
2020commissioned (~6 yrs)

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

Data status

Known data

FacilityVilla María power station GEM-GOGPT
CountryArgentina · Córdoba GEM-GOGPT
Coordinates-32.426774, -63.174047 GEM-GOGPT
FuelGas GEM-GOGPT
MW installed capacity250 MW GEM · 2026 · L100000406469; operating plant capacity
OwnerMSU Energy [100%] GEM-GOGPT
Commissioned2020 GEM-GOGPT
TechnologyCCGT · HRSG GEM-GOGPT

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions394,200 t CO₂·a⁻¹ calculated
Capacity rank in country#48 / 275 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#28 / 95 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers2.00× · 125 MW · n=95 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent281,571 calculated
Environmental severityC3 · 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 a source-verified 2026 capacity claim: 250 MW for Villa María power station.

GEM · 2026 · operating plant capacity

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 · 2026 · L100000406469; fuel: GEM GOGPT

In context: how this plant compares

At 250 MW, Villa María power station is well above the median gas plant in Argentina (125 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 Argentina

NUEVO PUERTO: 1,218 MW1kNUEVO PUER…Guillermo Brown power station: 876 MW876Guillermo …AES Paraná power station: 870 MW870AES Paraná…CENTRAL TERMOELECTRICA MANUEL BELGRANO: 868 MW868CENTRAL TE…Manuel Belgrano I power station: 868 MW868Manuel Bel…CENTRAL TERMOELECTRICA TIMBUES: 865 MW865CENTRAL TE…DOCK SUD: 861 MW861DOCK SUDCT ENSENADA DE BARRAGAN: 848 MW848CT ENSENAD…

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

Owner

Operated by MSU Energy [100%].

Climate zone & how it works

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 32.4°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

~18°Ctypical annual mean
~27°Ctypical warm-season mean
Humid subtropical: hot summers and mild winters

Climate zone & typical temperatures: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid).

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)
32/100environmental-severity index
14.5°Cseasonal temperature swing
630 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 #28 largest gas power plant of 95 in Argentina by capacity.

Argentina has 95 gas power plants in this dataset, together about 22,760 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates -32.426774, -63.174047 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Villa María power station?

Villa María power station is a 250 MW gas power plant in Córdoba, Argentina, commissioned in 2020.

How many homes can Villa María power station power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 281,571 homes (estimated).

Who operates Villa María power station?

Villa María power station is operated by MSU Energy [100%].

Built from open public data; no personal information. Operate this site? Request a correction or removal.