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Al-Najaf

Gas power plant in An Najaf, Iraq. Approximate location 31.9748, 44.384.

GasAn NajafIraqOCGT

Al-Najaf is a 250 MW gas power station in An Najaf, Iraq. It is operated by Iraq's Ministry of Electricity. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 282k homes (estimated). It ranks #67 of 91 Iraq power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2011, it is around 15 years old — relatively modern. In context, gas supplies about 53.0% of Iraq's electricity; the national grid averages 683 gCO₂/kWh (1.6% low-carbon) (2024).

250Source-backed capacity
281,571homes powered (est.)
2011commissioned (~15 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1008709.

Data status

Known data

FacilityAl-Najaf WRI
CountryIraq · An Najaf WRI
Coordinates31.9748, 44.384 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity250 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerIraq's Ministry of Electricity WRI
Commissioned2011 WRI
TechnologyOCGT WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions394,200 t CO₂/yr calculated
Capacity rank in country#67 of 91 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#49 of 55 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.34× · 740 MW median · 55 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent281,571 calculated
Climate24.1°C · HDD 561 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC1 · 48/100 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 L100000406137); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 250 MW, Al-Najaf is below the median gas plant in Iraq (740 MW). Technically it is described as OCGT. 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 Iraq

Al-Khairat power station: 5,835 MW6kAl-Khairat…Al Faw IPP power station: 4,950 MW5kAl Faw IPP…Besmaya power station: 4,800 MW5kBesmaya po…Abu Ghraib power station: 3,000 MW3kAbu Ghraib…New Dhi Qar power station: 3,000 MW3kNew Dhi Qa…New Rumaila power station: 2,670 MW3kNew Rumail…Wasset power station: 2,540 MW3kWasset pow…Al Amarh power plant: 2,150 MW2kAl Amarh p…

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

Owner

Operated by Iraq's Ministry of Electricity. 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 hot desert climate (Köppen BWh) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 32.0°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

24.1°Cannual mean temp
561heating degree-days (base 18°C)
2,801cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
23 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 10 °CJF: 13 °CFM: 18 °CMA: 24 °CAM: 30 °CMJ: 34 °CJJ: 36 °CJA: 36 °CAS: 32 °CSO: 26 °CON: 18 °CND: 12 °CD36 °C

Heating degree-days here run 77% 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: 21/100 — this site sits in the bottom third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

A gas turbine here also runs ~6% 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 benign, low-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C1 — Very low), with dust abrasion the leading environmental stress.

C1ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
48/100environmental-severity index
25.8°Cseasonal temperature swing
478 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 #49 largest gas power plant of 55 in Iraq by capacity.

Iraq has 55 gas power plants in this dataset, together about 61,570 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 31.9748, 44.384 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Al-Najaf?

Al-Najaf is a 250 MW source-record gas power plant in An Najaf, Iraq, commissioned in 2011.

How many homes can Al-Najaf power?

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

Who operates Al-Najaf?

Al-Najaf is operated by Iraq's Ministry of Electricity.

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