Cerro Prieto

Cerro Prieto is a geothermal field and power-station complex in Baja California, Mexico, located near Mexicali; its commercial development began in the early 1970s and it is one of Mexico’s largest geothermal installations.

The site is industrial rather than scenic - the most noticeable features are well pads, pipelines, steam vents and the power station buildings. Steam plumes and industrial infrastructure are visible across the flat Mexicali Valley, but visitor access inside the plant area is generally not permitted.

Development of the field and construction of generating units began in the 1970s under Mexico’s national utility, with additional units and infrastructure added in later decades to expand electricity production. The complex functions as a working geothermal electricity-generating installation rather than a recreational site.

The installation sits in the Mexicali Valley roughly 25 to 30 kilometers south of the city of Mexicali, in a tectonically active rift extension of the Salton Trough near the Mexico-United States border.

• Access: Public access to the plant areas is restricted; the site is best viewed from perimeter roads and viewpoints outside the fenced facilities.
• Operational history: First commercial generating units at the complex came online in the early 1970s, and the installation has been expanded in phases since then.

What to See #

• Cerro Prieto Power complex: The industrial complex that hosts power plants and wells for steam and brine production; plant buildings, turbine halls and cooling infrastructure occupy a clustered site and are visible from public roads around the field.
• Cerro Prieto geothermal field: The geothermal reservoir and wellfield where steam is produced from the subsurface for electricity generation; the field underlies the surface area around the power complex and is the source of visible steam emissions.