World Power Plants

Rucatayo hydroelectric power station59.5 MW Hydroelectric

HydroRenewableVerified: Feb 2026

Rucatayo hydroelectric power station is a 59.5 MW hydro plant in Chile, with no specified operator and commissioned in an unspecified year. Ranked #46 of 143 hydro plants in Chile. Its 59.5 MW represents 0.47% of Chile's total hydro capacity of 12,561 MW. The largest hydro plant in Chile is Ralco Hydroelectric Plant at 690 MW, making Rucatayo 11.6 times smaller. Nearby plants include MARIA ELENA (68 MW, Solar), RUCATAYO (60 MW, Hydro), and PILMAIQUEN (41 MW, Hydro). The facility is located in the Biobío Region, approximately 500 km south of Santiago.

Capacity
59.5 MW
Commissioning Year
2014

12 years old

Owner
Colbún S.A.
Location
-40.6191°, -72.7038°

Chile, South America

Context & rankings
  • 131. largest of 383 plants in Chile
  • #12,501 worldwide by installed capacity
  • #3,002 of 8,493 Hydroelectric plants worldwide
  • 0.19% of the installed capacity of Chile
Age & fleet comparison

12 years in operation

Hydroelectric fleet average: 42.1 years

Operator portfolio

Colbún S.A. operates 15 plants totalling 1,071 MW

Regional density

25 plants within 100 km, 370 MW combined

Nearest plant: PILMAIQUEN (5 km)

Data provenance

Source: Wikidata

Location

Coordinates:: -40.619056, -72.703778
Open in Google Maps
Carbon Footprint

Zero Direct Emissions

Rucatayo hydroelectric power station is a hydro power plant producing approximately 208 GWh of clean electricity per year with zero direct CO₂ emissions during operation.

Lifecycle emissions: ~24 g CO₂/kWh (manufacturing, transport, decommissioning)

Technical Details

Primary Fuel Type
Hydro
Energy Source
Renewable
Country
Chile
Continent
South America
Data Source
Global Power Plant Database

ChileEnergy Profile

383
Total Plants
31.5 GW
Total Capacity
HydroGasCoalSolar
Top Fuels

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