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Asset classes
- Transmission Line80,968
- Power Plant32,429
- Substation / Converter7,614
- Oil & Gas Field7,055
- Coal / Uranium Mine5,382
- Pipeline4,951
- Cement Plant3,513
- Data Centre3,283
- Iron & Steel Plant1,293
- LNG Terminal1,198
- Grid Storage965
- Iron Ore Mine949
- Chemical Plant868
- Interconnector704
- Export Terminal519
- Refinery279
- Storage / Tank Farm38
- Oil / Commodity Contract19
- Hydrogen Project18
- Carbon Capture (CCS)16
Chokepoints
El Salvador · asset class
Power Plants in El Salvador
El Salvador has 12 power plants mapped on the OverWatts open energy atlas — the 118th-largest fleet of the 155 countries that hold any, and under 0.1% of the world's mapped total. Of these, 11 operating and 1 under construction or proposed. Operating generation capacity totals 1.8 GW across 11 utility-scale plants of 100 MW and above. The largest is Pacífico Acajutla power station (378 MW).
The largest owner-operators are Comisión Ejecutiva Hidroeléctrica del Río Lempa (3), LaGeo (2) and Neoen SA (2) — Comisión Ejecutiva Hidroeléctrica del Río Lempa alone is named on 25% of them. Half of El Salvador's power plants in service predate 1995 (median commissioning year of the 11 with a known date), 3 came online in the past decade and the oldest still listed is 5 De Noviembre hydroelectric plant, dating from 1953. 1 is in the pipeline, led by Metapán wind farm (100 MW), proposed. They account for 67% of every energy asset OverWatts maps in El Salvador.
Operating generation capacity by fuel
- hydro532 MW
- oil478 MW
- gas378 MW
- solar240 MW
- geothermal211 MW
- wind0 MW +100 MW planned
On the interactive map
Largest power plants in El Salvador
- Pacífico Acajutla power station378 MW · gas · 2022
- Orazul Acajutla power station232 MW · oil · 1999
- 15 De Septiembre hydroelectric plant180 MW · hydro · 1983
- 5 De Noviembre hydroelectric plant179 MW · hydro · 1953
- Cerrón Grande hydroelectric plant173 MW · hydro · 1976
- Nejapa Power power station144 MW · oil · 1995
- Capella Solar Park140 MW · solar · 2020
- Berlín geothermal power plant110 MW · geothermal · 1992
- Talnique power station102 MW · oil · 2006
- Ahuachapán geothermal power plant101 MW · geothermal · 1975
- Providencia Solar Park100 MW · solar · 2017
- Metapán wind farm100 MW · wind · proposed
Who owns El Salvador's power plants
- Comisión Ejecutiva Hidroeléctrica del Río Lempa3 25%
- LaGeo2 17%
- Neoen SA2 17%
- Energía del Pacífico Ltda1 8%
- Inter-American Investment Corporation (IIC)1 8%
- Inversiones Energéticas SA de CV1 8%
- Nautilus Inkia Holdings LLC1 8%
- Nejapa Power Company1 8%
Counts an asset once per company named as its owner or operator; a joint venture counts for each partner.
When they were built
- 1950s1
- 1970s2
- 1980s1
- 1990s3
- 2000s1
- 2010s1
- 2020s2
Median commissioning year 1995 · oldest 5 De Noviembre hydroelectric plant (1953) · newest Pacífico Acajutla power station (2022) · 11 of 12 carry a start date
Under construction & proposed
- Metapán wind farm100 MW · wind · proposed
How El Salvador compares · power plants by country
- 1. China11,537
- 115. Cameroon14
- 116. Iceland13
- 117. Slovenia13
- 118. El Salvador12
- 119. Bahrain11
- 120. Costa Rica11
- 121. Senegal11
Frequently asked
- How many power plants are there in El Salvador?
- OverWatts maps 12 power plants in El Salvador — under 0.1% of the world's mapped total, the 118th-largest national fleet of the 155 countries with any.
- What is the largest power plant in El Salvador?
- Pacífico Acajutla power station, at 378 MW.
- How much power-generation capacity do El Salvador's power plants have?
- About 1.8 GW operating across 11 plants, with a further 100 MW under construction or proposed. That covers utility-scale sites of 100 MW and above, so it sits below national installed capacity wherever distributed generation is large.
- Who owns the power plants in El Salvador?
- Comisión Ejecutiva Hidroeléctrica del Río Lempa is named as owner or operator on the most — 3 of 12 (25%). Next are LaGeo (2), Neoen SA (2) and Energía del Pacífico Ltda (1).
- How old are El Salvador's power plants?
- The median commissioning year is 1995, across the 11 in service with a known start date. The oldest still listed is 5 De Noviembre hydroelectric plant (1953); 3 came online in the past ten years.
- What new power plants are being built in El Salvador?
- 1 project is under construction or proposed. The largest is Metapán wind farm (100 MW).